The Witch's Apprentice
by Little Lady Kunimitsu
Summary: AU. Aelita is an apprentice to a very powerful witch. But one rule is that she is never to fall in love, period. But when the situation arises and she meets new friends, will she go back on her master's words or will she crack under pressure?
1. Prologue The Moonlight Brawl

_**A/N: I haven't done an AU story for a long time and I have been on my Code Lyoko obsession lately so here is my new idea! Some of you, if you read my other Code Lyoko story, might recognize the Witch and her "assistant". But anyways, I hope you enjoy the prologue to this story.**_

_**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Code Lyoko for it belongs to Moonscoop and some other French dudes. If I did own them, would I be making fan fiction? I think not…**_

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_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Prologue-The Moonlight Brawl**_

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Mist rose from the waterfall that evening, leaving the rocks near the falling water covered lightly with water. A full moon was high in the sky, smiling its silver visage down onto the ground below. The stars dotted the sky around the moon but were not as bright as its large night friend. A single nightingale's song was the only sound heard along with the waterfall in that tiny sacred area that night.

A girl with unusual pink hair was sitting on one of the flat rocks in the water near the waterfall. Her eyes were closed tightly, as if she was trying to concentrate deeply. But, the nightingale's song and the water falling made her lose her focus. She opened her green eyes and looked over at her mentor.

Next to her, on one of the bigger flat rocks closer to the waterfall, her mentor sat meditating. Her mentor's eyes were closed lightly, like she was taking a sleep. But the girl knew she was not. She envied her master for being able to meditate peacefully in the noisy place.

Then, before she could comprehend, something hit her head. The girl placed a hand on her head where she felt the light blow. She looked at her mentor. Her eyes were still closed but her tall staff was in her left hand. The two dark colored balls rattled as they shook. The girl narrowed her eyes at her mentor.

"Get back to concentrating…" Her mentor's crisp accented voice told her quietly.

The girl growled something and closed her eyes once again and tried to concentrate.

"Now Aelita…" Her master's voice filled her ears. "Just ignore the bird's song and the water and just focus on your own energy. Once you are able to accomplish this, you will be able to perform your magic better."

Aeilita heard her master's advice countless times but it was a thing easier said than done. This time, as she tried to focus, she could hear the hoof of her master's horse pawing impatiently.

"I can't do it, Lady Anne Marie," Aelita said through gritted teeth.

"Yes you can…You are just being lazy and not trying hard enough."

"Um…Mistress Anne." It was the voice of Aelita's other mentor. "We got company."

Aelita could hear her mentor stand up; the stones and other jewels sewn on the ends of her sleeves clanked quietly as she moved. Aelita dared to open one eye to look at her mentors but she was immediately scolded by her mentor Anne Marie.

"Keep your focus and close your eyes," Anne hissed. Aelita immediately did as she was told and closed her eye. Now her master was directing her voice towards her companion. "Can't those bloody demons leave a witch alone when she is trying to meditate?"

Aelita heard her other mentor's voice, the carefree tone of a man. "I know what you mean by that…" She heard him adding in a quiet purr. "That wizard just loves sending us company."

"Unfortunately for him, I don't like his company."

Aelita didn't need to open her eyes to know what was going to happen next. The wizard's underlings will run out of the trees and attack her masters. Lady Anne Marie would remove the top of her staff, revealing a sharp rapier blade and cast some serious magic on the wizard's minions. Her other master would use his magic and transform from his usual cat form to that of a larger cat or an even more threatening animal or mythical creature. After several minutes of grunts, slashes, spell casting and other weird noises, the monsters are slain and disappear without a trace.

Once all of it ended, Aelita opened her eyes. Her mentors were cleaning up after the battle; Lady Anne was retrieving the top part of her staff and her cat mentor was licking his paw, back in his normal dark coloured cat form.

"Master Christopher, are you alright?" Aelita asked her cat mentor.

The cat yawned and purred, his blue eyes glowing in the moon's light. "Yes I am. Just snagged a claw and that's about it. I'll be fine till we get back home."

"You better be," Lady Anne Marie muttered. Her moss green eyes looked at Aelita. "Are you ready to go? We'll try again some other day."

Aelita nodded and stood up, nearly slipping off the wet rock as she tried to stand up. Christopher purred in amusement and went over to water's edge.

"Don't worry," he acknowledged. "You'll get it someday. It takes a while for a witch or a wizard to master the key element of focus."

Aelita hopped gingerly from stone to stone until she got to dry land. Her two masters were standing there waiting for her. Lady Anne's long auburn hair danced slowly in the gentle breeze and her eyes clouded for a moment after what Christopher had said. But when Aelita looked back at her, they were back to their normal sharpness.

"He's right…It takes a while but you're on the right path." Anne's unusual praise had surprised Aelita but Aelita just smiled at her mentor.

"Thank you, masters," She thanked them.

"No problem, but let's get back now. I'm starving!" The cat wizard pawed at the ground and trotted up to the black and white coloured horse.

Aelita followed after her Lady mentor but couldn't help but have a strange feeling as she left the spring that night.

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_**A/N: Well, there is the prologue for you, my little duckies. Hope you enjoyed it! Please review and all that other fun stuff. Once again, thanks for the read! (And Kuni cannot think of anything to say!)**_


	2. The Apprentice

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter One: The Apprentice**_

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Hello, my name is Aelita and I am the apprentice to two wonderful, powerful mentors. We live in the middle of nowhere, semi-underground, next to a large hilly meadow and a forest.

As long as I could remember I was a witch's apprentice and I couldn't see me doing anything else. I love using magic and learning about it! My mentors have taught me so much.

Speaking of mentors, like I already said I have two.

One mentor is a wizard who usually takes the form a cat. His name is Christopher but he usually just wants me to call him Chris. He is really nice and pretty smart, but he doesn't really act like it most of the time. Very rarely have I seen him in his human form but I usually look away because he is naked when he comes out of animal form. He says that he gets so used to not having to wear clothes that it's weird in his real form.

My other mentor is Lady Anne Marie. I don't know much about her past but I think she isn't much older than me, neither is Chris now that I'm sure of it. They look like it when it comes to appearances. Anyways, they know so much about magic that it makes me want to go insane. Anne Marie usually is kind sarcastic and hard, but she means well. She can be nice sometimes. Its fun watching her and Chris argue for some reason because they act like children when they do. We also have a horse that Lady Anne calls 'Nightshade'. He's a really cool horse that'll do just about anything.

Anne Marie tells me that my parents gave me to her when I was a child and she and Chris were raising me to become a witch ever since.

Oh, and those monster that Anne and Chris fought at the spring? They are minions of one of the evilest wizards in the land. The dark wizard Xana. According to my mentors, he was one of the best students when they were apprentices themselves, but he turned down a dark path and now wishes to destroy humankind as we know and rule in a new order. Of course, my mentors won't stand for it and have been fighting a war between their old companion. But it's like they know something about him that I don't. I mean, whenever I ask something about him, they dance around the subject or switch it. It's kind of odd…

Anne Marie is pretty easy when it comes to rules but there is one rule that always bugged.

'_Under my instruction, you are never to fall in love._' She would say. '_Witches are never meant to fall in love_.'

I ask her why, but she gives me more work and ignores the question. I don't really mind not falling in love, though. I mean, I have no time in my life to even do that! Besides…I've never really met anyone I could fall in love with. We're so far away from a city and Anne would kill me if I did.

But I still wonder…would it really be that bad to try it out just once?


	3. Hocus Focus

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Two: Hocus Focus**_

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"Aelita, could you help Christopher grind up the comfrey herbs I found into a paste?" Lady Anne asked her pupil as she watered the rose bush outside the den.

Aelita looked up from her massive book and walked to the stairs that led up to the entrance.

"Sure," She shouted up the stairs to the open hole-like entrance. "Where is he?"

"In the herb room," Anne Marie shouted down. "I'd help him, but I am preoccupied at the moment."

"It's okay, I can help him," Aelita answered with a smile.

She heard her mentor grunt, meaning that she could go now. Aelita let out a sigh and went to herb storage room. As her master said, the cat wizard was busy kneading at a green leaf. She knocked on the wood to alert Christopher that she was there. The cat immediately lifted his head at the noise, letting out a purr when he saw the young apprentice.

"Aw, Aelita!" He meowed cheerfully. "Glad you came to help."

"It's no problem," Aelita told him kindly as she took a seat next to the table. "Just grind it to a paste then?"

Christopher nodded, his dark blue eyes glowing. "Yes! I would do it myself but with paws it's kind of hard."

Aelita took one of the cylinder grinding stones and began crushing at a leaf in a stone cup. "Wouldn't it be a lot easier if you just did it in human form?"

"It would…but I enjoy the freedom of not wearing clothes in animal form," Christopher said with a laugh. "Besides, you can do a lot of things when you are a cat."

"Like what?" Aelita asked, looking at the cat wizard.

Christopher chuckled. "I wouldn't like to spoil it. I mean, when you get better with your magic, you'll be able to do this. But, since you asked so nicely…"

The feline stopped pawing at his leaf and stood up on his hind legs. "When you are a cat, you can get away with so many things, my young friend. You can hide in small places and you always land on your feet when you fall. Cats can see better in the dark, but witches and wizards can too…They run on tiny stomachs so they don't have to complain when they have little to eat. And we are just so darn cute that every one stops and pets you."

Aelita giggled as her mentor rambled on and on about the joys of being a cat. Even Christopher seemed to get into his rambles, standing on his hind paws and throwing his head back dramatically. He almost fell off the table a couple of times but he would quickly regain his balance, continuing from where he left off. But once, his tail landed into the mouth of the plant with jaws that Lady Anne Marie kept in the herb storage room and the plant chomped on his tail.

"OUCH!" Christopher yowled. The plant seemed to have a smile on its green lips. Aelita watched as her master batted at the plant furiously with his paws. Eventually, the plant grew tired of its meal putting up a fight and let go of Christopher's tail. Christopher ran to the opposite side of the table, so the plant couldn't reach him.

Aelita watched, amused as her master tried to get his tail straight. "Are you okay?" she managed to ask without breaking out into laughter.

"I'm fine, thank you," he responded. "I have no idea why Anne Marie insists on keeping that plant in here. Bruno or whatever its name is is a menace! He always bites my tail when I get close to him and it's always when I monologue!"

Aelita nodded as her feline master spoke. She enjoyed watching and talking with Christopher. He was so fun and kind and pretty entertaining when he gets off into a monologue.

"Well, if you were a human, he probably wouldn't bite you," Aelita pointed out, continuing to crash the leaves into a fine green paste.

"That is a positive…" Suddenly, the cat's ears perked forward and a mischievous sparkle came into his eyes. He looked at Aelita. "I have an idea!"

"What is it?" Aelita asked, cocking her head to the side.

"We can practice your fire magic and your focus!" Christopher let out an evil chuckle. "Anne Marie would probably pass it off if you were practicing and had a mishap with your fire practice. You accidently killed the plant with your magic."

"But you know the rules, '_No fire magic in the house because I don't want my home blown up.' _Besides, you're the only one who seems to have a problem with Bruno."

"Still…we can practice. And if you get into trouble, I'll take the fault. Deal?"

As much as Aelita did not want to go across Lady Anne's rule of fire magic in the house, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to actually work on her focus and fire magic. Besides, Christopher was in there and he had her back if she got into trouble. That and he could probably dispel the magic if it gets to serious.

Aelita nodded and stood up from her spot, leaving her almost finished paste in the stone grinding cup.

"Now, close your eyes and imagine yourself under the sun, feeling its warm rays…"

Aelita listened to Christopher's calm voice and closed her eyes. She imagined herself in the large hilly meadow, feeling the wind and the warm sun beating down on her. The sun was warm and she felt the power of fire course through her body.

"Good…now, put your hands out and imagine you are releasing the power of fire from you, slowly but surely…"

Aelita listened once again and placed her arms out in front. She imagined the fire being released from her and then-

"FIRE, SETTLE AND CALM UNDER MY VOICE!"

Aelita opened her eyes and saw her cat master, with wide, scared eyes. She looked above him and couldn't believe what she did. Above Christopher was a large ball of fire, veiled in some purple aura; a binding aura or spell. The fire looked like it was trying to escape for the purple aura but Christopher had a good hold on his magic.

"D-did I do that?" Aelita asked in a small voice.

Christopher did not answer but spoke calmly to the ball of fire. "Fire, I thank you for coming here. You may go now." And with that, the fire disappeared, vanishing without a trace.

Christopher released a big breath and looked at Aelita. Aelita was certain he was going to scold her and built herself up to it.

"Aelita…"

"Yes, Lord Christopher?"

"That was amazing!"Christopher jumped at her, purring loudly and blue eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "And look!"

He pointed his tail at the plant. Though still there with a frown on his face, the leaves on Bruno were charred and smoking.

"Though it was dangerous and you almost burnt all the herbs in here, you were able to focus a little and burn that wretched plant!" Christopher was purring even more loudly now.

A smile slowly crawled across Aelita's face. She went over to Christopher and hugged him, picking him up off the table. He began to lick her cheek and began to rub his head against her chin.

"Well…you two seem to be getting close." Aelita turned and saw Lady Anne Marie standing in the doorway. A knowing smile was on her face. "It smells like fire in here…"

"Anne…I can explain," Christopher began.

But Lady Anne waved her hand. "No need to…I saw everything. And though you went across the rules and burnt my beloved plant…I'm proud of you."

Aelita's smile widened at Anne Marie's rare praise. Anne Mare caught that and her smile also widened.

"Your focus is getting better. I say we have a good dinner tonight. You can choose it, Aelita."

"Really?" Aelita's eyes brightened.

Anne Marie nodded. "But choose something that Bruno enjoys too."


	4. Stalemate

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Three: Stalemate**_

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"Aelita, are you sure you'll be okay by yourself in the forest?" Christopher asked, sounding almost too father-like. "I mean, I can always go along with you."

"It's okay Master Christopher," Aelita answered with a smile. She picked the woven basket off of the wooden table. "I know where all the herbs are and I know where the best places they grow at. Besides, I have Nightshade with me. I'm sure I'll be okay."

"Okay…but if one of Xana's minions comes after you, run as fast as you can home, okay? Don't stay and try to fight them," Christopher warned her, his ears pointing back and his eyes clouding up a little.

"Oh, calm down you fatherly puss…" Lady Anne's accented voice called out at the cat as she walked out of the shadows. "She'll be fine and she knows what to do."

Aelita nodded at Lady Anne. "Exactly, so you have nothing to worry about!"

Anne Marie nodded at her. "Remember to get yarrow and burdock root. We need those the most."

"Got it!" Aelita ran up the steps to the exit and looked down at her two mentors. "I'll be back before you know it."

Lady Anne nodded at her and waved in farewell. Master Christopher waved his tail at her.

"Farewell! And be careful!"

Aelita ran out of the hole and onto the hilly meadow. She whistled for the black and white horse. "Nightshade!" she called out after.

In no time, the tall black and white horse trotted towards her, coming down from a hill. She whinnied at Aelita, tossing her head in greeting. The long mane and tail danced in the winds of the meadow.

Aelita ran to the horse and hugged the horse's large head.

"Hello Nightshade," Aelita greeted the mare, stroking her hand through the horse's long forelock. "Ready to go herb picking?"

Nightshade nickered at Aelita, making the girl smile. Aelita moved to the left side of the horse, hefting her picking basket over her shoulder. With a high jump, Aelita was on the back of the horse. Riding side saddle and grabbing a hand full of mane, she urged Nightshade to trot. The horse complied and trotted towards the direction of the forest.

It didn't take long to reach the forest. The sky was overcast but Aelita could still see pretty clearly through the forest. Through the forest, Nightshade was slowed to a walk. Aelita kept her eyes open for the herbs and the probable case of a Xana minion wandering the forest. But nothing seemed to yell "Xana was going to attack". The birds were singing, the wind was felt through the trees and the atmosphere didn't feel thick or heavy or malevolent.

Aelita looked down at Nightshade's face, patting her neck. "I think we might have a peaceful day by ourselves."

Nightshade snorted, making Aelita laugh. She pulled back on Nightshade's mane and the mare stopped.

Aelita jumped off the mare's back, still holding the picking basket. Aelita turned to face the horse.

"Alright," Aelita said as she brushed off her skirt with her free hand. "The yarrow is just around here. The burdock plants are not too far away too. I think this won't take too long"

Nightshade dipped her head, as if she were nodding. Aelita smiled at the horse and went off near the bushes under a shady oak tree. Around the bush, on the other side, was a large bushel of plants with white flowers beginning to bloom.

"There we are!" Aelita said as went down on her knees. She took out a small knife, a "gathering knife" as her mentors would call it, and began to cut the stem o the plant. As she placed one stem into the basket, Aelita began to remember the time when she and Lady Anne were picking herbs on a summer day that seemed long ago.

'_Do you remember what the yarrow is for?' Anny Marie asked the young apprentice as the experienced witch cut the stem of the plant with a small knife. Aelita, who was watching her mentor very carefully, tipped her head back, as if she was trying to remember the property of the plant. _

"_It's used to stop bleeding and to cure colds and the flu," Aelita answered brightly."But it can have an allergic reaction on some if you use too much or if you have sensitive skin."_

'_Nicely done, young one,' Lady Anne replied. She placed a hand on Aelita's pink one and patted her. A small smile was on her face and her green eyes glittered proudly. 'You are very well with herbs. Make sure you remember them carefully for when the time arises.'_

'_I will Lady Anne!' Aelita chimed loudly._

'_And remember…make sure you cut the stem. If you take the root, there will be less of a chance that more will grow in the same spot. You do not want a good herb to disappear, no do you?'_

'_No ma'am.'_

'_Exactly.'_

Aelita began to hum a small tune as she finished up cutting one last stem. She placed the one in the basket and stood up, brushing off her skirt once again. She looked at the basket. The basket was filled a third of the way with yarrow flowers, stems and leaves. That seemed enough for a while.

The young apprentice stood up and walked over to Nightshade. The black and white mare was grazing on the forest grass when Aelita was picking the yarrow.

"I think those two will be happy with the bounty, don't you think?" Aelita asked the mare.

The mare flicked her ears Aelita, continuing to graze off of the grass. Aelita chuckled and patted the mare's neck.

Then, the bird's stopped chirping and the wind suddenly stopped. Nightshade lifted her head, ears and eyes alert. Aelita felt her muscles tense. The young apprentice closed her eyes and tilted her head back. The air felt dense and she could feel something odd in the area. It was the exact same feeling she had the countless times at the waterfall when Lady Anne and Lord Christopher had to fight.

Xana's minions…they were coming and they were near.

Aelita gulped and looked at Nightshade. The mare was frozen and still tense. "Nightshade we need to go."

That when Nightshade began to toss her head. The mare reared up, startling Aelita and sending her back a couple of feet.

"Nightshade!" Aelita pleaded to the rearing mare. 'We need to go!"

But it was too late now. Something jumped out of the bushes and blocked the exits. Aelita knew these monsters, the giant crab-like minions that shoot water balls infused with dark, deadly magic. Like all of his other minions, they didn't have eyes but an evil symbol that represents the dark wizard in its place.

The Eye of Xana.

Aelita gasped as she looked at the crab monsters. There were four, two blocking each exit. Nightshade was still rearing but not going to run away from her human. Aelita knew that the monsters were not going to let her or Nightshade leave alive and she didn't know the magic to defend herself or Nightshade. The only thing she had with her was her herb gathering knife, which was too short and not very sharp. But she was willing to not go down without a fight.

She got into her best defensive position, sticking her knife out. She tried her best to give a fierce expression to the crab monsters.

"Stay back!" she shouted at them. "I'm not afraid to attack you!"

One of the crabs didn't take to her defense and shot one of its water balls at her. The magic got her hand, shooting the knife out of her hand and leaving a painful gash on her hand. Aelita gasped at the pain and held it close to her body. She felt the warm blood seep out of the wound.

The crabs looked like they were going in for another attack, now that fresh blood was in the air. Aelita quickly, jumped onto Nightshade's back and kicked the mare into a gallop. Immediately, the mare obliged and ran, jumping over a bush to clear away from the monsters. With her good hand, Aelita held onto the mare's mane, trying to guide the terrified horse throw the forest. She could see the monsters firing at her as the two fled. She dared to look behind to see the four crabs chasing after her. She cursed under her breath and urged Nightshade to move faster. Naturally the very loyal horse obeyed and sped up.

That was when Aelita felt a sharp pain to her right shoulder. Blood immediately trickled down from the new wound, not even giving Aelita time to growl with pain. The water ball also must have hit Nightshade, for the horse panicked, rearing up and throwing Aelita off. Aelita crashed onto the ground and Nightshade soon fell afterwards.

Feeling the shock of the pain, Aelita's eyes were wide with pain. She could see the crab monsters coming closer, Nightshade struggling to stand up, and then the world seemed to stand still. And everything went black.

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_**A/N: Thanks again for the read! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review this for crying out loud! That is all. Oh and someone will be making his debut next chapter. You know him, you love him, but I don't want to spoil it for you. Once again, thanks for the read!**_


	5. The Handsome Rogue

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Four: The Handsome Rogue**_

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Aelita could see everything flash before her. The memories of her riding Nightshade through the meadow and forest, the beautiful black and white mare listening to every story the girl would say to her. The memories of Christopher walking around the den in his cat form, changing to his naked human form to surprise Anne Marie. The memories of Lady Anne Marie dancing and performing rituals under the full moon, even letting Aelita join with her. The dreams of becoming a powerful witch like Christopher and Lady Anne…

Everything was fading to blackness…

"No! I don't want to go!" Aelita cried out.

Her green eyes shot open and she bolted up. She almost forgot about the wounds on her shoulder and hand, so immediately, she began to curse and scream in with the pain. She placed her uninjured left hand onto her right shoulder and was shocked to feel a bandage over the wound. She looked down at her right hand and saw some bandage wrapped tightly around that as well. She was covered with a thick blanket and was lying close to a fire.

She looked up at the sky and saw the stars and the moon. Aelita's eyes looked widely around, looking for her horse Nightshade. Luckily, the horse was there too, lying down near the fire. There were bandages wrapped around her forelegs but the mare seemed to be sleeping quite well.

"Hey! You're awake!" Aelita jumped at the voice. She quickly, with pain coming from her shoulder, to look behind, noticing two figures standing in the small forest clearing.

One was a wolf-like dog with grey fur. Next to the wolf was a tall young man with a quiver on his back and a bow in his hand. He had straight blond hair that went a little above the shoulders. He had an arrogant expression on his face but other than that, Aelita thought he was pretty cute. And he looked about her age…

"Who are you?" Aelita asked. "And what is that thing following you?"

The wolf narrowed its eyes and snarled at her.

"Hey! Be nice to him!" The young man said defensively. He placed a hand on the dog and stroked its fur, calming him down. "He's a wolf if you truly want to know."

"He doesn't look very smart to be a wolf…" Aelita muttered. She looked at the wolf, whose fur was bristling with rage now. "I'm just being honest."

"Yeah, yeah…we get that a lot," The young man growled. His expression softened as he got closer to the girl. "Are you feeling alright now?"

"I'm just fine, thank you," Aelita responded, sitting up straight. But she really didn't. Her muscles were sore and she was still tired from the ordeal.

"Hm…" The archer bent down and pinched her shoulder, making Aelita squeal with pain. She narrowed her eyes at him as a seedy smirk curled onto his face. "Exactly…"

"What was that for?" Aelita spat at him. "How dare you touch me?"

"So why were you and your horse wandering the forest?" The blonde archer ignored her question, asking one of his own. "You should know that you shouldn't travel this forest without a weapon. You should be lucky that I was walking around at the time to save you."

Aelita didn't like his arrogance and slapped at his hand away from her wounded shoulder.

"If you really must know, I was herb gathering," Aelita answered.

"Herb gathering?" The young man asked. "What are you, a witch?"

Aelita wanted to retort back to him but Lady Anne's words echoed through her head.

'_When and if you encounter a stranger, never reveal that you are a witch.'_

'_Why is that?'_

'_Because people get frightened easily by the words 'witch'. Besides, you never know if the person you are speaking to is a henchman or assassin working under Xana. It's best just to give them a fake name and tell them you are not a witch.'_

"I'm an herb gatherer," Aelita lied. "I collect herbs for a doctor in town so he can make it into medicine."

"That's kind of silly coming to a place like this all by yourself to collect herbs," the archer mumbled.

"I can handle myself!" Aelita snapped.

The young man laughed. "Yeah, and you ended up getting hurt and I had to come to rescue you. Don't worry, Princess, I'll protect and your horse." The blonde archer walked towards Nightshade.

Aelita rolled her eyes at the young man. She watched as he handled Nightshade, careful not to wake up the sleeping horse. He whispered kind things to the sleeping mare and patted her gently. _He's good with animals,_ Aelita thought to herself. _He doesn't look like one of Xana's henchmen._

"So…what's your name?" The young man asked, not looking at Aelita and still handling Nightshade.

"What?"

"Your name. You know, the thing people call you when they want your attention."

"Maya…Maya Stone," Aelita lied once again. That was the name that she chose for herself when she had to come up with a fake name. Anne Marie was Guinevere the Wanderer and Christopher called himself Cael the Hunter.

"Maya, eh?" The young man asked. Aelita nodded. "Nice to meet you. My name is Odd Della Robbia. And that wolf is my pet, Kiwi."

"Kiwi?" Aelita repeated. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"I don't really know, my parents named him. They say it's some kind of fruit from a different country. I don't like fruit so I didn't want to name him that. But he seemed to like it, so it stuck with him."

"I see…" Aelita watched as the wolf trotted over to his master. Odd smiled at his wolf and rubbed him in between the ears. Kiwi seemed to like it, lying down near his master's feet and beginning to doze off.

"So what's your horse's name?"

"Oh, her name is Nightshade," Aelita answered.

"Isn't that a poisonous plant?"

"It is, yes," Aelita answered. "My mentor- I mean, the doctor I work for, though it would be a good name for her because of the black splotches on her."

"Still, I don't think a poisonous flower would be a good name for such a pretty horse." He patted the mare's neck one last time. "You must take real good care of her."

"She's a good horse."

"Aw…just like how Kiwi is a good dog. He may look kind of stupid, but he's really smart. You should see him in action!"

"Yeah…where exactly are you going?"

Odd stood up and rolled his shoulders, walking around the fire as he stretched his muscles. "I'm going to Kadic. The only way to get there is to cross this forest."

"Kadic?" Aelita repeated. Odd looked at her with a brow raised, obviously confused by her question. "What is that?"

"It's a city…" Odd answered in a low voice. "Isn't that where you're from?"

Aelita's eyes widened. How could she get such a simple fact wrong? She shook her head slightly, placing her bandaged palm on her temple.

"Oh yeah, I forgot, sorry," Aelita apologized. She tried sounding sick to fool her new acquaintance to think she was still reeling in from the damage of being thrown and attacked by the monsters. "I guess that fall made me forget a little." She laughed nervously, not looking at the blonde archer.

"Okay…Listen. I don't want you wandering the forest by yourself when you're injured like that. I'll escort you to the city."

Aelita's eyes widened and she looked back at the young man. He had a serious look to his face, like he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"No, really…" She insisted. "I think Nightshade and I will be fine."

"Hey! I'm going there anyway. If you play your cards right you could even meet my friend."

Aelita sighed. "Look, thanks for the help and all but I think I can manage."

"Pfft…you almost got maimed by yourself earlier. You are not going alone."

Aelita could see that she wasn't going to win this battle. She was tired and really would like to sleep again. "Fine…"

A grin crawled upon Odd's face. "Great! Now, get some sleep and I'll walk you up before we go."

"Yeah…whatever." Aelita grumbled as she laid her head down onto the ground, pulling the blanket over her once again. "Good night…"

"Night Maya. I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Traveler**__**: I noticed that not a lot of stories had a magic/witch based plot, so I went for it. And thank you so much for the review! I hope you do stick to reading this. You're input was most appreciated!**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys**__**: Thank you, love! Yes, Christopher tends to be the more enjoyed one. Probably because he walks around as a cat. Oh, and I love your art on dA. Thanks for the review!**_

_**A/N: Another chapter in the bag but now Odd and Kiwi are involved! And here's a fun fact, remember in the prelude episode called "XANA Awakens" and Jeremie called Aelita "Maya"? Also how for a while her last name was Stone? That's how I got her name…Not a cool fun fact but I try.**_

_**Anyways, next chapter they go the city of Kadic. Now it's getting really AU in this…yay! Thanks for the read and please review. Thank you and have a great day (or evening).**_


	6. The Kind Scholar

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Five: The Kind Scholar**_

* * *

"Well, there it is. The city of Kadic!" Odd announced as the two got to the edge of the forest.

He and Kiwi were walking on the left side of Nightshade; Aelita was sitting on Nightshade's back. The mare had haled rather quickly over the night, with the cuts on her forelegs now hairless but unscathed. That was because Lady Anne enchanted the mare. If Nightshade ever got hurt, she'd heal basically overnight. Aelita was not as fortunate as the mare. She'd heal more slowly, since she didn't have all of her magic under control. But her healing was still faster than a normal human's.

Even Odd pointed out the mare's healed wound the morning when they woke up. He questioned Aelita, asking if the horse was a witch. Of course, he was joking, Aelita could tell, but she lied anyway for the sake of her well being. She told him the simple truth/lie that Nightshade was a quick healer.

Aelita looked out at the city, eyes wide as she looked at the vast area of buildings. She was so used to the simple life in the meadow with no people besides her and her mentors. Lady Anne never brought her out the city so this would be the first time she'd ever be in a place like this.

"Whoa…" She let the word escaped.

"'Whoa'?" Odd repeated, clearly hearing her. "How can you be surprised? You live in this very town."

"I mean 'whoa' as in, 'Whoa…how am I going to explain this wound to the doctor?'." Yet another lie, but anything to keep up her alias.

Luckily, Odd didn't seem to notice and nodded. "Yeah…that's going to be interesting for you to explain. Want me to go with you?"

"No…I think I'll be safe in the city now." Aelita gave him a smile to reassure the archer. He gave her a brow raise in return, but nodded slowly.

"I'll walk with you to the city entrance."

Aelita obliged and kicked Nightshade to move forward. The walk to the city's entrance was a quiet one. Aelita thought, _Would I ever see this guy ever again? I've never had any real friends besides my mentors and I have no idea how to make it in the city before I can go back Anne Marie…_

At the entrance, Odd, Kiwi and Nightshade stopped. His hand was rubbing the back of his head and he looked over at Aelita. "Listen…I have no idea what you plan on doing, but if you're free tonight, would you like to hang out or something?"

Aelita honestly had no idea what the words "hang out" meant, but she nodded. "Sure, I'd love to."

Odd seemed relieved, relaxing his shoulders and having a grin on his face now. "Great! So…I'll meet you at Jim's Tavern at sunset? You can meet my friend."

"Sure thing," Aelita answered. She could always ask where this gathering place was…

"Excellent! So I'll see you later?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, cool. Um…bye now." Odd and his wolf began to walk away from her. She waved in farewell at him and he waved back before disappearing into the crowd of walking people and horses.

Aelita sighed and looked down at her horse. "I guess you have no idea what to do either?"

Nightshade snorted and stomped. Lady Anne had brought her in the city before when the witch had to do an important errand but Aelita knew that the horse probably wasn't enjoying the idea of being in the city as much as she was right now.

"But we can't go away either now," Aelita muttered to the horse. "I made a promise to that archer. And even though he's an arrogant person, we should stick to it."

Nightshade blinked at her rider. Aelita nodded to the horse and urged her forward. Reluctantly, Nightshade moved on.

Aelita was shocked and amazed by the city dweller's life. There were so many things going on at once. She saw people selling things, gypsies dancing in the streets, more people trying to sell things and then the aristocrats out taking a morning stroll. Aelita did look odd walking around the town, riding a horse that wasn't bridled or saddled and being wounded. But no one stopped to ask why and just continued to mind their own business.

Then, she came across an area of houses close to together. Goats and other animals walked and played in the streets. Aelita could hear the giggles of children playing. Some would even come up to her and start petting Nightshade. She obliged, until an angry mother came out and scolded her child for talking to a wounded stranger. Aelita saw the mother and immediately thought of Lady Anne Marie. Is she and Christopher scared and worried because she didn't come home last night? Where they looking throughout the forest at this very moment for her? How angry was Anne Marie going to be when she finds her in the city?

"Hey, miss, are you okay?" Aelita turned around and saw a young man standing to the side of her horse. He wasn't as tall as Odd but looked about the same age. He was wearing glasses on his face and had blonde hair. He also didn't look like much of hunter like the first person he met.

"Um…yes, I'm fine, thank you," Aelita answered. _He's much more polite than Odd._

"Are you sure? I have medical supplies in my house and you don't want your wounds to get infected."

Now that he mentioned it, Aelita could feel a tingling sensation in her wounds. She knew that her wounds might have been infected now.

"Okay, I guess I'll come with you," Aelita answered in a tight voice.

"Okay. Just have your horse follow me."

Nightshade followed the young man. It wasn't a very far walk to say the least. When they stopped, Aelita slid off of Nightshade's back, landing on the cobblestone ground. The young man found some rope that was lying around and tied it around Nightshade's neck. He tied the end of that to a hitching post.

"Will she be okay out here?" Aelita asked, worried that someone might take her beloved horse.

"No…not now since she's tied up," the young man answered. "Come on inside."

Aelita followed the young man into one of the houses or _his_ house Aelita assumed. She was shocked at how small it was inside compared to the outside, nothing like the den that was in the hill and underground like she was used to. But there was one thing that did remind her of her home; there were books and scrolls everywhere. Stacked on the tables and floor and papers with writing were tossed all over the place. She was so astonished by the collection of books that she didn't even notice the man leave the room.

"Hey-"He startled Aelita, who whipped around to look at him and nearly knocked the medicine and bandages out of his hand. Aelita apologized and so did he. "Sorry…but I got the stuff for you."

"Oh, thank you." Aelita took the stuff from his hand, setting it down and then began removing her old bandages. Luckily, none of the wounds seemed infected, only inflamed, but like Christopher always said 'Better safe than sorry!'

"By the way," The young man spoke up as she placed the medicine on her hand wound. "My name is Jeremie Belpois. What is yours?"

"Oh, I'm Maya Stone," Aelita lied to the nice boy. "What is it you do around here?"

"I work at the library," Jeremie answered. "Basically, I sort through books and scrolls and other things of information. What about you? I mean, you must do something extreme because I highly doubt something like that can happen in my line of work."

_You don't the half of it_, Aelita wanted to say. "I'm an herb gatherer for the doctor in town. I got attacked by a pack of dogs in the forest until someone saved me from them. Unfortunately, I lost my basket in the attack and don't have any of the herbs that the doctor wanted so I'm taking my time getting back." _Well, not all of it was a lie, anyway._

Thankfully, Jeremie seemed to buy into the story. "I see…those dogs have been getting kind of rowdy in the forest from what I've been hearing. At least you're okay now."

"Yeah…" Aelita finished up wrapping her shoulder and gave the medicine and the remaining bandages back to Jeremie. "Thank you very much. Do you live here alone?"

"Yes…my parents drop in every now and again to check on how I'm doing but other than that, it's just my books and I."

"I see…thank you once again for the medicine. I need to get to the doctor now."

"Wait!" Aelita was stopped as she tried to leave. She looked at Jeremie and cocked her head to the side.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Do you mind if we could visit again sometime?" Jeremie asked. "You seem like a really nice person and I'd like to know you more."

"Um…sure. If I don't have to go herb gathering tomorrow, I'll come over."

Jeremie nodded and smiled at her. "Great. Well, I'll see you again sometime."

"Yes. Good bye." Aelita smiled and waved and left the house. She let out a sigh when she stood next to Nightshade. The horse nickered softly at her, pushing her muzzle in Aelita's hand.

"I don't know Nightshade…" Aelita said quietly to the horse. "The first time ever in a city and I'm already making friends…I don't think Lady Anne will like this in the least bit."

Nightshade stomped her hoof and snorted. Aelita smiled and rubbed the horse's forelock.

"I guess I have no choice but to stay here for a while then, now…"

Aelita untied the rope around Nightshade's neck and walked away with the horse alongside of her. Her wounds were the least of her worries now. If she stayed in the town will she ever be able to go home to her mentors?

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Traveler: **__**I tend to reply to all of my reviewers but thank you! I'm glad I have a permanent reader now! It will be a secret for who Aelita will ultimately end up with. I believe in both Jeremie/Aelita and Odd/Aelita pairings so it's going to be a hard decision to make out who she will be with in the end. But you are pretty right on with the prediction for Ulrich when he makes his debut next chapter. Jeremie will eventually get something to help fight off monsters, but for now, he has about as much combat skills as hamster has. And you'll just have to see what Yumi is when she makes her appearance. And I just looked up what **__**Chrestomanci and it does sound a lot like Christopher when I looked at it. **_

_**And yes! A Doctor Who/Code Lyoko crossover…that could be very interesting. And oh yes…there might possibly be a fez or two involved.**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys**__**: Don't worry. Half the time, I don't know what to say either. Cats are truly amazing animals which makes it so fun to make Christopher to be one. I thought Odd would be a good choice for the first encounter because, well, he's Odd and people tend to like him most. Jeremie doesn't seem much of an outdoor person…And no problem! **_

* * *

_**A/N: One more of Team Lyoko's members are introduced and I'm glad too. It's going to get a lot more fun now that scholar boy is in it now. Like I said in the response, we meet Ulrich in the next chapter so it's just going to get even more fun!**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Also, stay tuned for the next chapter! Thanks you all, once again.**_


	7. The Quiet Swordsman

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Six: The Quiet Swordsman**_

* * *

It was sunset now and Aelita was lost looking for the place "Jim's Tavern". With Nightshade, she wandered street after street after street, with the hope of finding this place. She asked out for directions but no one would stop and answer her question. As the sun sank lower, Aelita was about to give up.

"I don't think we can find it…" Aelita mumbled to Nightshade. The mare flicked her ears at her and nothing more. Aelita sighed. "Maybe we should just-"

"Hey! Maya! Maya Stone!" Aelita turned around and saw the blonde archer and his wolf running up to her. Aelita let out a sigh of relief, thankful to see a familiar face in a sea of strangers.

When he got close he flashed her a smile. "I thought you wouldn't show up. Hey Nightshade." He patted the mare. Nightshade nickered softly at him and licked his hand. "I saw you passing by and-"

"You mean we walked past it?" Aelita asked, her green eyes showing her confusion.

Odd nodded. "There is no sign outside to say where it is. You must not come down to this part of town a lot."

"Um…no. No I do not."

"Oh well," Odd said with a shrug. He grabbed her by the wrist. "Come on. Let's go inside."

"What about Nightshade? And your dog for that matter? I'm sure they can't go inside."

Odd grinned at her. "You're worried that someone might take your horse? Don't worry, Kiwi will protect her! People usually take one glance at him and run away."

"Cool dog…" Was all that Aelita could respond with. "Alright, let's go."

Odd led her inside the unmarked building. Inside the building was a site Aelita was definitely not used to. Dim lighting; a mass gathering of people; thick, disgusting smoke that lingered heavily in the air; and the smashing of glass and other loud noises. Aelita had no idea how she was going to handle herself in this type of place.

"Come on, Maya," Odd whispered to her. "He's in the back corner over there."

Aelita nodded and let Odd lead the way. She stuck closely to him, clutching onto his arm as they made their way to the back corner. She could feel the stares from the creepy gentlemen and the evil glares from the women as their creepy gentlemen looked at her. After what seemed like the longest walk she's ever taken, Aelita and Odd made it to a booth.

"Hey! I'm here!" Odd announced when he made it there, slamming his hands on the table.

"Finally. I thought you would never show up." Aelita could hear the voice of a man, probably around Odd's age. "Why whenever you come back to town you always want to meet here? You know I hate this place…"

"Oh calm down, I came here didn't I?" Odd slipped himself into the booth. He looked at Aelita and motioned for her to sit. "Come on Maya and meet my friend."

Aelita nodded slowly and hesitantly took a seat next to Odd. She looked across to get a look at his friend. As she predicted, he was probably about the same age as Odd but looked a bit more serious than the archer. He had brown hair, a portion of it covering his right eye. He had dark eyes that also reflected his serious look.

"Hi, I'm Ulrich, Ulrich Stern" the young man greeted. "And you are?"

"Maya Stone, thank you," Aelita answered.

"I met her in the forest on the way here," Odd spoke up.

"You better not be taking her back to your place afterwards," Ulrich grumbled. He looked at Aelita. "Do you want to know how many women he's been with since the time I first met him."

"Ulrich!" Odd whined. "I just met her and you think-"

"You've done it in the past," Ulrich interrupted.

"Um…so what do you do for a living?" Aelita asked, trying to change the awkward subject.

"Oh, I'm a swordsman and a bounty hunter. Nothing too big or fancy."

"Well the bounty is some times," Odd put in.

"I don't do for the money, you moron," Ulrich sighed. He looked at Aelita. "What do you do?"

"I'm an herb gatherer for the doctor in town. You know? So he can make medicine." _How many times am I going to have to use that lie today?_

"Interesting…is that how you got those?" He was gesturing towards her wounds. "I don't think that'd happen if you're an herb gatherer."

"I got attacked by monsters in the forest," Aelita answered.

"And I just happened to be in the neighborhood to save this damsel in distress!" Odd added in proudly.

"You're going to have to excuse him," Ulrich said to Aelita. "He can be pretty egotistic and eccentric sometimes."

"And here you are using big words now! You have changed Ulrich Stern!"

Aelita giggled as she watched the two argue. It reminded her an awful lot of Lady Anne and Christopher. When she thought about her two mentors, she immediately began to wonder how they were doing without her. _Don't get so worked up about it! I'm sure they're fine. Sooner or later you'll see them again._

"Listen…I'm sorry that we can't hang out longer, but there is something I have to take care of," Ulrich said as he began to stand up.

"Aw…need to catch a thief tonight?" Odd asked.

"Yeah…and he's a slippery one that's for damn sure. But I'll catch him tonight."

"Good luck and listen…is it okay if I can sleep at your place tonight? I kind of forgot my key back at tree house."

Ulrich sighed, glaring at his friend. "Fine…but if you eat all my food, I'll hurt you."

"I swear on my heart and on my grandfather's grave," Odd said, though Aelita could hear some playful sarcasm in it.

Ulrich rolled his eyes at his friend and turned to look at Aelita. "It was nice to meet you, Maya."

"Nice to meet you too," Aelita responded, giving him a smile.

He nodded at the two and walked away from the table.

"You think he's going to catch the thief?" Aelita asked when Ulrich was out of sight.

"Of course he is!" Odd answered. "Ulrich always catches his man!"

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: Thank you! Hm…it'll be a surprise with who she ends up with, sorry to say. But I hope you stick with the story. Once again, thanks for the review!**_

_**A/N: Nothing much to say but thanks for the read. Please review and stick around to see if Ulrich catches the thief.**_


	8. The Nimble Thief

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Seven: The Nimble Thief**_

* * *

"So Maya…do you have a place to stay?" Odd asked as they walked down the street that quiet evening.

Aelita looked at the ground, not wanting to meet his gaze and trying to come up with a lie. "Well…I usually sleep in the doctor's office. But I think I lost my key in the forest. I didn't have a chance to see him today so I don't think I have a place to stay."

"Hm…you can stay at Ulrich's place with me tonight!" Odd suggested.

"Really? I don't think he'll be okay with it…" Honestly, she was shocked by the offer. She was expecting that she would just have to sleep in a horse's stall along with Nightshade or something.

"Really! And Ulrich didn't say anything about having a friend spend the night with me. We'll just put your horse in the stall that's close by and then she'll be set." Odd gestured at Nightshade. The horses responded with a snort.

She knew that she really shouldn't be getting attached to these city people but with the promise of shelter, she knew that she couldn't refuse it.

"Well…if you insist."

"Perfect! Don't worry, if we get in trouble, I'll take the blame."

* * *

It was long after midnight now and the city was quiet. People were home dreaming and waiting for the sun to makes appearance the next morning. But in an empty house near the outskirts of the town, one such person did not sleep. Person, wearing dark tight clothing kicked out the glass of the abandoned building. Quickly and nimbly, the figure jumped through the broken glass and inside the house.

The person walked around the house, knowing full well that no one would catch them tonight. But when the figure made it to the attic of the house, a lantern's light flicked on. The figure quickly turned around and set their masked face on the bounty hunter, Ulrich Stern. He had a sword in his hand, the steel glinting off the light of the lantern.

"Kind of late to be going through a house, don't you think?" Ulrich asked the masked figure. The masked person grunted and looked for a way to escape. "You're mine now so don't even think of escaping."

The floorboards creaked as they moved. Clearly, the attic was not a safe place to duel on. But no matter, they were going to fight.

Suddenly, two skinny items appeared in the masked person's hands and with quick agility, hey attacked Ulrich. But his reflexes were quick and he was able to defend himself. In the left hand, the skinny item opened up, revealing a fan with sharp spikes on the top of the paper.

"A fan?" Ulrich asked aloud. "You're joking right?"

The person didn't really seem to like the comment, throwing the open fan at Ulrich. He ducked with a second to spare, the fan becoming stuck in the wood behind him. Ulrich looked behind and gulped.

"I take that back now."

The masked person, with their now free hand punched out at him, nearly missing him once again. He swung his sword at the person and missed narrowly. The masked figure went and pulled the fan out of the wood. Ulrich got back into his stance and narrowed his eyes at the person.

The masked figure let out a yell but when they took a step, their foot fell through. The floor gave way and the person fell through. Ulrich, fortunately, did not fall through but he watched with wide eyes as the thief crashed onto the floor below. Carefully, he jumped from debris to debris to the ground the masked figure was laying. When he got their, he saw the wide gash on the person's abdomen and a slash on the right arm. He also saw the mask of the person on the ground, not on the wearer's face anymore. He crouched down and moved the thief's face to get a look at it. His eyes widened that he was not dealing with a male thief like he expected. _He _was a _she_…

Her eyes were closed but he knew that she was not from Kadic, or even Europe to be precise. She had mid-length black hair that was now messy. Luckily, she was still breathing.

He placed a hand on her to see is any of her bones were open. Suddenly, he felt a hand grasp tightly onto his arm, making him jumped. He looked at her face to see her dark eyes glaring at him.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked hoarsely. "I'm bleeding. Aren't you going to kill me?"

"No way," Ulrich answered. He saw a flash go through her eyes.

"Why spare me?" She asked boldly. "I tried to kill you."

"Because I don't hurt women who did this to themselves."

The oriental girl scoffed. The light in her eyes, though defiant, was beginning to fade. "Well aren't you the chivalrous type?"

"Come on!" Ulrich persisted; he placed an arm around her shoulder. "I'm not going to leave you to die. Not here anyways."

The girl rolled her eyes. "You're lucky I can hardly move, because if I could…I'd kick your ass."

Ulrich chuckled but noticed how she was getting weaker and limper in his arm. He quickly picked her up.

"I'm making you come with me," He growled at her.

"Aw…bite me." She closed her eyes and the color began to go away from her face.

Ulrich sighed, prayed to whatever god might be listening, and walk out of the house, hastily making his way towards his own with an unconscious thief in his arms.

* * *

_**A/N: Three chapters in one day? Man I have no life… Anyways, I think you can guess who this cat is now. Thanks for the read, once again!**_


	9. Playing Doctor

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Eight: Playing Doctor**_

* * *

Aelita awoke with the sun the next morning. Her sleep was a good, comfortable despite sleeping on the floor. She looked over at Odd, who was still sleeping in a free fall position. His arm was on Kiwi, who was lying on his back with his mouth wide open. Aelita tried her best not laugh at the two but a small chuckle escaped. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to get rid of some of the snarls and knots out of her hair. Unfortunately, it didn't work and her hair was still a pink rat's nest.

"He's got to have a brush or something around here," Aelita grumbled quietly to herself. Or she could just go out to the stall and find herself a horse brush. Either way, it'll work out. However for now, she would search the house. Quietly, she tip toed around, looking for the item. But she didn't stumble upon a brush. Instead, she found Ulrich.

"Oh… hello," Aelita greeted awkwardly. "Sorry, I-"

"Its fine," Ulrich waved it off. He sounded tired and the dark rings under his eyes proved it too. "Odd left a note for me."

"I see…did you get a good night's sleep?" Aelita asked.

Ulrich groaned and shook his head. "Not really…I've been taking care of someone since I got home."

"Taking care of someone?" Aelita repeated. "Did you catch the thief?"

"Kind of…" Ulrich explained to her the story of encountering the female thief and how she fell through the boards. "Now she's sleeping in my room. Honestly, I don't have a clue on how to treat injuries."

"I can do that," Aelita offered. She did know how to treat wounds. That she was always good at. She always treated Christopher's wounds after the battles with the monsters. Lady Anne Marie would usually take care of herself but let Aelita practice on her wounds if she needed it. "I mean, I am an herb gatherer for a doctor."

Ulrich looked at her hesitantly but nodded. "Go ahead."

"Alright, and you try to get some sleep," Aelita suggested.

Ulrich laughed and waked away from her. "I'll try my best."

Aelita smiled at him and then proceeded into his room. There was definitely a new face sleeping on the bed. Aelita walked to the side of the bed, and examined the sleeping woman. The bandages wrapped around her abdomen area were old and she could see the dried blood that would've bled through. The bandage on the right arm didn't bleed through.

Aelita decided to work on the arm first. Unused bandages were placed on the stand next to the bed, as well as some medicine. Aelita looked at the medicine and read what was in it.

"Comfrey…Witch hazel...Lavender…" Aelita read off. She smiled at the vial, pleased that herbs she knew where used in it. "Yep, this'll do."

She began to unwrap the arm bandage slowly. Aelita jumped when she felt a hand quickly grab her wrist. She looked at the woman who was now awake.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, her dark eyes demanding an answer.

"I'm helping you," Aelita answered firmly. "You are in no shape to take care of yourself."

The oriental woman growled but knew that Aelita was right. She looked down the bed and saw a shackle around her ankle, chained to the bed.

"So what's your name?" The girl asked Aelita. "I'm going to be stuck here, why not know who is taking care of me."

"I'm Maya Stone," Aelita answered. She removed the old bandage and observed the arm wound. It was big but nothing too serious. She readied the medicine onto some gauze and looked at the girl. "Hold on, this is going to sting a little."

Aelita placed the medicine onto the wound and placed pressure onto the gash. The girl growled through gritted teeth, clutching the blankets as Aelita applied more pressure. After ten seconds, Aelita took off the gauze and began to wrap a new bandage around the cut.

"Sorry…" Aelita apologized.

"It's not your fault," the girl answered, giving Aelita a smile. Aelita was confused by her smile. _For a thief, she sure is nice…_

"By the way, what's your name?" Aelita asked as she finished wrapped the bandage.

"I'm Yumi," she answered. Aelita raised a brow at name. Clearly, this thief was not from this region. "Now I know what you're thinking, so I'll answer it for you. I'm from the east, like, far away east. My parents moved here some time ago. Unfortunately, life did not turn out so good so I resorted to being a thief to keep my family afloat."

Aelita took in the story and nodded slowly. "I see…so are you really a nice person?"

Yumi smiled and shrug. "Sometimes I can be."

Aelita smiled back at her. "Okay, now I'll take care of the bandage wrapped around your stomach." Aelita began to unwrap the old bandage. It took a while, and careful, moving to take care of this one but eventually, Aelita got the dirty bandage off. She examined the wound. It was worse than the arm, but Aelita was sure it should heal in time.

"Is that your horse in the stall?" Yumi asked as Aelita readied the medicine.

"Yes," Aelita said, not looking at Yumi. "Her name is Nightshade."

"She's a pretty horse. Not like any of the ones in the city. Where did you get her from?"

Aelita was not sure how to answer it. She remembered, when she was a little girl, Lady Anne and Christopher herding the wild horses that lived on the meadows away from their den. Lady Anne spotted a sick foal without its mother and decided to take it in. She named the foal Nightshade because Anne Marie found out that the foal at the poisonous plant that made it sick and because of the black spots on her pelt.

"The doctor I work for, he got it from a breeder," Aelita lied. "This is going to sting again."

Aelita placed the gauze on the wound, applying pressure once again. This time, Yumi was more prepared, but it still stung. After twenty seconds, Aelita took off the gauze and began wrapping the bandage around the abdomen.

"You're pretty good at this," Yumi said. "No wonder you work for a doctor."

Aelita didn't answer, beginning to get tired of telling the lie.

"You did better than that bounty hunter, that's for sure. Even when I was unconscious I knew he was doing it in a weird way."

Aelita couldn't help but laugh. She tied the bandage and looked at Yumi. "There we go. Now take it easy and I'm sure you'll be better in no time. It might leave a scar, so just use some chickweed or evening primrose."

"You really know your stuff. Thank you, Maya."

"No problem." Aelita smiled and nodded. She stood up and gathered the dirty bandages. She began to leave the room.

"Hey, wait," Yumi said. Aelita stopped and turned to look at her. "Tell that bounty hunter that when I'm better, we're having a rematch."

"Will do." Aelita walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Traveler: Yeah…got bored so I decided to make three chapters. Summer vacation is getting to me. Yes, poor Aelita aka Maya Stone. Ulrich does make a very good swordsman/bounty hunter and dealing with how his personality is, I thought it'd work out for him. And correct, Yumi is the thief! Hm…that would be interesting to see how Anne Marie and Christopher are handling themselves without their beloved student, but don't worry, those two will make their appearance in not too long of time. And like I say, it'll be a surprise to see what Jeremie gets in the future. Now, off to chapter eight! Technically, the floor kicked Yumi's ass but Ulrich is the winner in this fight. And yes, it will further thicken the plot. **_

_**And for Doctor Who, I was thinking of him and his group wanting to go to the French Revolution or something, but ended up in the factory. After some snooping, he finds the Lyoko warriors and gets into a comedic, but heated, argument about the whole time thing. Thanks again for the review! Your input is always enjoyable!**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Yay! Then I'm doing a good thing! And you just sniffed out one of the romance of the story, good for you. Yes, their romance will be interesting in these coming chapters. And indeed, fezzes are cool. Thanks for the review!**_

* * *

_**A/N: This has to be one of my favorable chapters so far. But I can't wait till Anne Marie and her feline friend make their appearance again, which will be soon. Then the plot will truly thicken.**_

_**Also, I was thinking about doing some fan art to this, in the form of Tarot cards. Since this is a magic based story, I thought that the Major Arcana would be perfect for it. Aelita could be "The Fool", Lady Anne "The High Priestess", and so on…**_

_**Once again, thanks for the read! Please stick around for the next chapter where Aelita and Jeremie hang out with each other.**_


	10. Gathering Clouds

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Nine: Gathering Clouds**_

* * *

"This is so boring," Odd complained loudly. He was fixing the strap on his quiver and counting the arrows inside the basket for the tenth time. "Surely we can do something."

"Hey, at least you can move around," Yumi shouted from the room. "I'm stuck on "bed arrest" till…well, I don't know!"

Ulrich slapped his forehead in annoyance. The two have been bickering most of the morning but it seemed in a friendly, brother-sister like way. Aelita watched the three people in amusement and wonder. The thief, Yumi, was really opening up and showing her true feelings, not like the way Ulrich said she acted last night. Aelita was sure that he was beginning to realize that she wasn't a bad person.

Then, a thought came to her. She was going to meet up with that library kid today. Jeremie, his name was.

Aelita stood up and made her way to the door. Odd looked at her with a brow raised.

"Where are you going?" He asked, looking up from his quiver.

"I just remembered that I had to meet up with someone," Aelita answered. She looked back at Odd and Ulrich and she spoke loud enough so that the "bed-arrested" Yumi could hear. "I'll be back in a little bit."

"Okay!" Yumi shouted. "Don't get lost now."

"And whoever changes her bandages, make sure you leave the medicine on for ten seconds, take it off and then quickly wrap the new bandage on," Aelita directed the statement to Odd and Ulrich, who nodded at her.

"Don't worry, don't worry, we will!" Odd waved his hand at her. "Have fun and don't do anything stupid."

"What are you, her father?" Ulrich asked.

"Well, I did save her," Odd said proudly. He winked at Aelita. "Have a good time."

"I will," Aelita said with a smile. She opened the door and left, closing it softly behind her.

She let out a sigh before making her way to the stables. The more she thought about it, the more she knew it was going to be harder for her to leave her new friends. Was she really going to enjoy it when she went back to her mentors, secluded in a lonely meadow with the two and Nightshade? How were her friends going to take it when she disappears without a trace or a simple good-bye? Maybe she could come and visit every now and again…

_No, Lady Anne would never allow it…_Her mentor had a strong dislike of the city and, when she absolutely has to go to it, she gets angry.

Nightshade nickered at Aelita when she saw her. The black and white mare stuck her head out of the stall, ears forward in a greeting manner. Aelita smiled at the horse and patted her on the head.

"We're just digging our hole deeper and deeper, girl…" Aelita said quietly to Nightshade.

Nightshade blinked at her. Aelita knew that she must be missing her home, but she was kind of enjoying her time in the city, making a new friend with the wolf Kiwi.

"But come on," Aelita said as she opened the stall door. "Let's go visit the library…whatever that is."

She jumped onto Nightshade's back and the mare immediately stepped to a walk. Like she did last night, Aelita got lost in the city and no one would help the girl who was riding the bridleless horse. Eventually, she managed to come across a large building with the sign "Kadic Library" hanging outside.

"Wow…" Aelita said as she looked at the massive building. "This is like one of those temples Lady Anne brought us to when we were little! I can't wait to see what's in there. Maybe like a powerful wand or something. Scrolls left behind by powerful wizards and witches."

The possibilities were endless to her! She was about to ride Nightshade into the building but got scolded by a grey haired man in a uniform. So, she jumped off the horse, found a length of rope and tied the mare to a tree. "Sorry Nightshade…But I promise to tell you everything about it when I'm done in here."

Nightshade nodded her head and licked Aelita's hand. Aelita smiled at the horse and ran away into the building. Once again, she got scolded but at least she was in the building now. But she was shocked to see that there was no magical instrument of any sort inside the building.

Just books…stacks and shelves covered with books. She walked around the library at least twice and she could find were even more books. Aelita was disappoint but was hopeful to find at least one book on magic.

She began searching every shelf for a book on magic and made her way around. After the third shelf, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped and whipped around, nearly knocking the stack of books out of Jeremie's hands.

"Oh!" Aelita gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"Its fine," Jeremie answered with a smile. "I should've known better than to sneak up on you. How are you?"

"Pretty good," Aelita answered. "My wounds are healing quite well. How have you been?"

"Good," Jeremie answered. "Didn't get any sleep last night though. I was in the middle of a good book."

Aelita nodded and looked around the library. "I was just looking for a book but there are so many here."

"You were were you?" Jeremie asked. He walked to a table and set the books down. He adjusted his glasses and looked back at her. "I think I can help you with that. What kind of book were you looking for?"

"Well…do you have a book on magic?" Aelita asked.

"Magic?" Jeremie repeated. Aelita nodded. "Uh…sorry to say but no. There are no books on it."

Aelita's eyes widened in disbelief. She knew that there were countless books on the subject and not a single book in this massive building had anything on magic?

"Don't tell me you believe in magic," Jeremie said in a tight voice.

"Of course I do! Magic is everywhere. Do you?"

Jeremie shook his head. "I'm not into that stuff. I tend to stick to more logical things."

"But it's everywhere!" Aelita blurted out. "Can't you see it?"

Jeremie looked down at the ground and didn't answer. Aelita let out a breath and realized what she just done. Now it could be a lot easier for someone to point out that she was a witch.

"I-I'm sorry," Aelita said in a small voice. "Forget I just said anything."

"No! It's fine." Jeremie's words surprised her. "I should know better than to think that what I believe in is the same with others. I didn't mean to offend you."

Aelita looked at him and gave him a small smile. "I forgive you."

Jeremie smiled at her. "Would you like to go outside? For a walk, I mean. I'm basically done here once I stack these books onto the shelf."

Aelita nodded, her smile widened. "I'd like that."

"Great!"

Aelita followed Jeremie as he stacked the shelves. She was amazed at how he remembered where all of the books belonged in such an expansive area. Once he finished, the two exited the library and walked to where Nightshade was tied up. The mare placed her muzzle in Jeremie's hand in greeting.

"I think she likes you," Aelita giggled.

"And we haven't even knew each other for that long," Jeremie said with a smile, patting the mare on the neck.

Aelita untied the mare and the three walked down the street. But as Aelita walked, she couldn't help but feel the eyes of someone watching her.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: Possibly...most likely…Yeah. Personally, they're my favorite couple so I'll probably ship the two of them. And thank you both for your support and the review!**_

_**MeowKitty: Thank. You! And I don't mean to be the object of your envy, please don't kill me! It's a possibility that they might fall in love. Like I said in the past, I support both Jeremie/Aelita and Odd/Aelita so it'll be difficult for who will ultimately win her heart. But I promise there will be enough moments for both of the pairings. Thank you for the review!**_

* * *

_**A/N: Yes…once again, I have no life. Sorry updating this thing so often but I really have nothing better to do. But thank you all for the support so far in this. I already know that this will go out for the long run from the looks of how I drafted it. But I hope you all will just be patient and supportive of it.**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review. Hopefully I'll be getting some fan art in soon. ;D**_


	11. Crying for the Dark Sky

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Ten: Crying for the Dark Sky**_

* * *

It was getting late and storm clouds were rolling in, covering the sun and making the area darker. But other than for the darkening sky, Aelita had a fun walk with Jeremie. He explained so many things to her, such as how he was raised, what it was like being a helper at a library and other fascinating facts that Aelita had no idea how to answer. He even tried to ride Nightshade, which was interesting because Aelita could tell that the young man hardly ever rode a horse. Aelita couldn't help but laugh at how awkwardly he sat on the mare. Nightshade seemed to be getting a kick out of this as well, often stopping and standing absolutely still just to see how impatient he'd get.

Now, the three were walking back towards Aelita's temporary home, Ulrich's house. She was hoping that the three she left behind didn't kill themselves arguing over something as simple as a toothpick or something.

"I had a really fun day with you today," Jeremie said kindly to her.

Aelita couldn't help but blush. "So did I. I even think Nightshade had a great time too."

The mare snorted and nodded her head up and down. They stopped in front of the front door of Ulrich's house and looked at each other for several seconds in silence.

"Um…I should get going," Jeremie said timidly. He turned away and waved at her, giving her a goofy, but lovable, smile. "Bye."

Aelita smiled and waved. "Good bye."

She watched as Jeremie rounded the corner and disappear. Aelita leaned her back on the door and let out a dreamy sigh. Nightshade perked her ears and nickered.

"I had such a fun day," She said in a quiet, happy voice to the mare.

Suddenly, Nightshade's ears perked alertly. She moved her head around as if she was looking for something, whipping her body around. The mare walked into the street and began rearing up. Aelita's eyes widened and she ran to the side of the horse, trying to calm her.

"Nightshade! Nightshade! It's okay," Aelita tried to comfort the mare but she wouldn't listen.

She heard the door swing open. She looked behind and saw Odd, Kiwi, Ulrich and a currently freed but still injured Yumi standing outside. Each of them wore the same look of confusion. Aelita could even hear Jeremie running back, looking as confused as the others.

"What's wrong, Maya?" Odd asked. "What's wrong with your horse?"

"I don't know!" Aelita blurted out. "She only gets like this if there's monsters or if someone…"

"Someone what?" Yumi asked. "Come on, speak up."

Aelita turned around to look at her new friends with wide, scared eyes. "Someone she knows is near."

She heard the flapping of large wings and then, suddenly, something black dropped down from the sky. The shadow disappeared and the form straightened up. It was her mentors, Lady Anne Marie and Lord Christopher…

Christopher sat on Anne Marie's shoulder, looking like parrot would on a pirate. His face seemed somber, changed from his usual humorous self. Lady Anne's face was dead too, but she could see the rage growing in her green eyes.

"Lady Anne…Master Christopher," Aelita muttered weakly, getting down on one knee and bowing her head to her masters.

Christopher jumped down from Anne Marie's shoulder. Lady Anne took a step forward.

"Come to me Nightshade," Lady Anne said in a tight voice. The horse hesitantly walked slowly towards her master. Anne Marie stared straight past the horse as the mare walked by, standing behind the witch. "And what do you think you're doing out in the city, Aelita?"

"I'm sorry master," Aelita said quietly, still looking at the ground. "I can explain."

"Explain?" Lady Anne's voice went from quiet to angry. "You had us worried for nights! We searched the entire forest for you and Nightshade and we didn't find a trace. All we found was the herb basket and that was destroyed."

Aelita felt small to Anne Marie's yelling. She could even feel the winds picking up with Anne Marie's anger. Odd took a step next to her, lacing a hand on her shoulder. The young archer looked at the witch.

"She didn't mean to run away," Odd began.

"Silence human!" Lady Anne hissed. Her long red hair whipped around in the wind, looking like a wild fire. "I know what my Aelita did. You brought her to the city and let her explore!"

Odd glared at her, his hands gripping his bow tightly. "Look! Who do you think you are telling her what she can and can't do?"

"Exactly." It was Yumi who spoke up. "And a good thing to. Because I don't know if I'd be dying of infection but thanks to her, she saved me."

Ulrich did not say anything, but had a hand on his sword. Jeremie watched, afraid and perplexed by what might be bound to happen. He crouched down next to Aelita and placed a hand on the shoulder Odd's hand wasn't occupying. "Maya…"

"My name isn't Maya…" Aelita said in a quiet voice. "My name is Aelita…"

"And she is my student," Lady Anne growled. Her right hand's grip tightened on her staff. "I will take her back now. If you don't give her to me, I will not be afraid to kill you."

The group did not say anything for several moments. Thunder clapped and a lightning bolt strike. It was about to storm to.

"Never," Ulrich spoke up. He removed the sword from his sheath. "She is our friend now. If you want her, you'll have to take her from us."

A smile came across Yumi's face as she took her fans out of her clothing. Odd also had an arrow ready to shot at the witch. Kiwi was in battle position with a snarl on his face, ready to fight if he needed to as well. The hair on Christopher's back was raised but he didn't show any sign of aggressiveness. Anne Marie watched the group, her green eyes grower cold and hostile. Jeremie still had his hand on Aelita.

Suddenly, along with a flash of lightning, Anne Marie removed the top of her staff, revealing the skinny, sharp blade that hid inside. With the clap of thunder, she dashed towards the group. Odd fired an arrow at her and it narrowly missed the witch. She decided that Odd would be her first target. She whirled around, trying to slash the archer with she thin blade, but the archer deflected the blow, using his bow as a shield. She kicked at him and was able to knock him over.

Ulrich charged at her next, swinging the sword at the witch with her back turned. Anne Marie whipped around and deflected the blow, holding his sword with her thinner one. She smirked at the swordsman.

"You might have a nigger sword compared to mine, but how well can you use it?" It was a taunt, a good one at that but the young swordsman ignored it. A thankful glint came to his eye when Yumi placed the spine of her fan next to the witch's throat. The witch's immediately gave up the struggle, looking at the thief with the corner of her eye.

"You're cornered, witch," Yumi growled.

Anne Marie chuckled. "You say it like it is a bad thing. I can assure you…it's not."

Anne Marie's left hand began to glow in a red aura and then fire seemed to burst from her hand. Yumi could see it, but Ulrich did.

"H-hey! Look out!" Ulrich warned.

Yumi looked down and saw the hand. She withdrew the fan and back flipped away. At that moment, Anne Marie threw the fire at the girl, nearly hitting her. She turned back to Ulrich and threw the fire at him to. He rolled to the side, missing the fire as well. At this point, Odd and Kiwi charged at the witch and began fighting with her.

Jeremie sat with Aelita still, who was still in shock. He could feel her fear for her mentors. He heard a growling noise and looked up. A giant black panther was in front of him with gold chains wrapped around its body. He noticed a weird emblem in the shape of the sun around its neck. Despite its fierce appearance, it had gentle deep blue eyes.

"I do not wish to fight you," The panther said in a tight voice. "But please, give me the girl. We can end this pointless struggle."

"Master Christopher," Aelita muttered. She looked up at her master with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Christopher did not answer but his eyes filled with sorrow. Jeremie tightened his grip on her shoulder, looking at the panther.

"What are you going to do to her?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"Nothing harmful, that I promise."

Jeremie gulped and looked at the fighting. He watched as Odd and his dog get thrown away from the woman. He saw the fire in her hand and in her eyes as Yumi and Ulrich charged back at her.

"Master…please I-"

The panther looked at her and got close, his face mere inch or so away from hers. His blue eyes began to glow as he muttered the word "Sleep…"

And almost immediately, Aelita fell asleep. Jeremie felt her weight drop and hr head droop. He didn't know what to do and accidently let go of her. She slumped over and that was when Christopher wiggled around, trying to get her onto his back. Once she was lying on his back, he nodded at the boy and walked away.

He made a roaring sound, making Anne Marie look at him.

"Let's finish this, now!" Anne Marie shouted. She retrieved the top half of her spear. She looked up to the sky and pointed her free hand at the sky. An evil smirk came across her face and she slowly brought her finger down to point at the group. Suddenly, a large lightning bolt came down from the sky, nearly striking the group. The five of them flew back and were on the ground.

The witch whistled for her horse and Nightshade came. She quickly mounted the horse and looked at the group.

"If you dare come past the forest to look for her, I will kill you," The witch threatened. With a flick of her hand, she created a large wall of fire that separated them. Odd and Kiwi stood up and ran to the wall to try to jump it, but the flames grew higher and more intense.

Rain began to fall from the sky, dropping hardly onto the ground. The rain killed the fire in no time but when the blaze was gone, the witch, the panther and girl were no where in sight.

* * *

_**A/N: Aw…Anne Marie and Christopher make their reappearance, at last. Now that Aelita has been taken, I'm sure her new friends didn't like it. This story just keeps getting so much more fun! And here's the fun fact for this chapter! When I was writing this, I was listening to the song "Crying for the Dark Sky" from some game I've never played. It's a pretty sweet song and loved the title, so I thought it would work with the chapter. There is your fun fact.**_

_**Well, thanks for the read and please review!**_


	12. Rough Waters from Now On

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Eleven: Rough Waters From Now on**_

* * *

"What the hell just happened?" Odd asked loudly. "Serious, what the hell just happened out there?"

The four of them were inside Ulrich's house, treating wounds. The gash on Yumi's arm had opened up and Kiwi got burned a little on his front paws. But other than that, the only injuries suffered were bumps and bruises, which will heal over time. Unfortunately, the group was crestfallen and the threatening words from the witch still floated in the air.

'_If you dare come past the forest to look for her, I will kill you.'_

Lightning flashed outside and the loud clap of thunder followed a moment later. It was still pouring rain outside.

"I honestly have no idea…" Ulrich muttered sadly.

"She's been lying to us the entire time she was in town, up until that witch came for her," Jeremie mumbled quietly.

"Who ever knew she'd be an apprentice to a witch," Yumi said quietly. She finished wrapping up the gash on her arm and looked at the group.

Kiwi whimpered as Odd placed some green coloured goo on the wolf's legs. "That witch was nuts," Odd growled. "We didn't even do anything to Maya-I mean, Aelita or whatever her name was."

"But why did she lie to us?" Jeremie asked. "Or more importantly, is she trying to hide something?"

"I've never seen her in the city before till Odd brought her up to me," Ulrich said with a shrug.

"And I only found her in the forest that one day," Odd followed up.

"You need to remember this, though," Yumi kept her voice firm. "Witchcraft is strongly frowned upon in this city. It would be a no brainer that she would keep quiet about being an apprentice to an all powerful one."

"You know about that hag?" Odd asked in an irritated tone.

Yumi shrugged. "Bits and pieces, you hear a lot of stories in the underworld of the city." She looked at Ulrich and smirked at him. In return he stuck his tongue out at her. "Anyways, they were once part of the magic council that watched over the ruler of this land. But when the ruler was killed and magic was banished, they went into hiding. They'd sometimes come to the city in the past and get into fights with the thieves and thugs of the underworld. But after sometime, they vanished completely."

"Wait! You're part of the underworld?" Jeremie blurted out.

"Not something I'm entirely proud of," Yumi admitted. "But yeah."

Jeremie began to shake a little in fear. He looked at Odd and Ulrich. "A-and what about you guys?"

"I'm just a lovesick archer with a hurt dog," Odd answered, trying to act innocently. "I have done no wrong in my life."

Ulrich rolled his eyes at the blonde archer. "I'm a bounty hunter." He pointed at Yumi. "And _she's _technically under arrest."

Yumi turned to look at him. "I'm not in shackles, am I?" She looked at Jeremie. "What about you? We've told you about ourselves; it's your turn to share."

Jeremie straightened himself up. "I'm a book stacker at the library…"

"That's not very exciting!" Odd said loudly.

Jeremie narrowed his eyes at him. "At least I know I'm not going to get killed."

"What's your name?" Ulrich asked. "I've seen you a couple of times but never dared to ask."

"I'm Jeremie Belpois," Jeremie answered. "Who in buggery are you guys?"

The three introduced themselves, Odd introducing Kiwi for the wolf.

"Okay, now that we got that out of the way, how the hell are we going to go get her?" Yumi asked as she leaned against the wall. The three men and Kiwi looked at her in confusion. Yumi raised her brows at them. "Well we are, aren't we?"

"Man, I don't know!" Odd exclaimed. He felt Kiwi tense, so he immediately calmed his voice down. "I mean, what's the point?"

"Yeah…if we go past the forest, we're considered dead meat," Ulrich said darkly.

"So?" Yumi persisted. "We have a few questions for them."

"We do?" Odd asked.

"Sure we do!" Yumi began to pace about the room, jumping over Kiwi when she got over to the dog. "I mean, why did that witch get so mad about that Aelita girl coming to the city? Obviously, she has to be afraid about something if she is so protective about her student."

"She's right…" Jeremie spoke up. "Besides, we need to see why that girl lied to us, giving us a fake name and false information."

"Yeah, but news flash!" Odd stood up, looking at the two fiercely. "We stepped out of the forest, we're better off dead."

"If we run into the witch, maybe," Jeremie said. "But when that cat wizard talked to me, he didn't seem like he wanted to fight. He's obviously the calmer of the two."

"Hm…so what you're saying is that if we catch up with that cat, granted he'll listen, you think he'll help?" Ulrich asked.

Jeremie nodded. "The problem is if we will be able to find him before that witch does…"

Odd shrugged and grinned. "Hey…we can just give it a shot and see what happens."

"Now you're being cheerful?" Yumi joked, smiling at the archer.

Odd looked at her. "What can I say? With the promise of adventure, me and Kiwi are always up to it."

The wolf moved his tail dismissively, trying to fall asleep.

"So I take it we leave first thing in the morning?" Ulrich asked.

Jeremie nodded. Ulrich let out a sigh.

"And I'm guessing you all are going to stay here tonight?" He asked again.

Everyone nodded. Ulrich let out and even bigger sigh. "Great…"

"Hey, I call your bed," Yumi growled. "I'm still under bed arrest."

"Like hell you are," Ulrich muttered darkly but his eyes glittered with humor.

The group went to bed soon after. It was still storming and the group knew that whatever happened next will change everything. But they were ready and prepared for whatever awaits them next.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: Sorry I didn't reply to you last chapter! Your review just showed as I uploaded it. Anyways, I'm glad you're happy with it. I'll try my best to keep it up.**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Yes indeed they are fun for the evil, cold hearted author. Muhaha! And hooray! It's a good thing! Thank you for the praise and review!**_

_**Traveler: I thought you abandoned me for a second but now you're back. Exactly! Now it'll be interesting to see if they meet up with either Christopher, Anne Marie or even Aelita finding them in the monster infested forest. **_

_**And, meh…I'll figure it out with the Doctor and his shenanigans with the group. And now time for a fun fact with the fans! When I was doing my research for the weapon and I was, at the time, playing one of my favorite games Shadows Hearts: Covenant. One of the characters, Lucia her name was, has a fan for a weapon. It's a rather attractive fan with sharp spike like things at edges. I decided to go along with this fan, since I liked the design and thought it would be interesting to have in the story.**_

_**And, oh ho ho…you'll have fun wondering who I cleverly pick for who gets what…Once again, thanks for the review!**_

* * *

_**A/N: Now in the double digits for chapters and I am still resolve to see through to the end. Unfortunately…I didn't really like how this chapter came out…Oh well. Next time, we visit the totally in trouble Aelita. Can't wait for that part. Since insomnia has hit me I shall begin it at once!**_

_**Once again, thank you to all who read, especially the loyal readers and please review! Stay thirsty my, friends. (Hope I don't get sued for using that line…)**_


	13. Discussion

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twelve: Discussion**_

* * *

Aelita was locked in the herb storeroom with Bruno the plant that night. As the first part of her punishment, Lady Anne forced her to sort out the herbs, separating the old dead leaves and the herbs that would still be considered useful. But Aelita did not want to. She just sat at the large wooden table next to the plant that had the mouth. He was still charred from the fire ball event a couple of days back.

Aelita was quiet, listening in on her mentors arguing. She was used to them bickering other stupid, petty things such as what herb is correct or what word is mispronounced in spell. They would usually laugh it off when they finished and go on with their lives normally. But this argument was different.

It started out quiet in whispers but now they were talking loud enough so Aelita could hear.

"You know and she knows that it is forbidden to go out into the city," Anne Marie would growl.

"Yes, but was a mistake!" Christopher would growl back.

Aelita ran a hand throw her hair, trying not to let the tears come out. Bruno made a whimpering noise at her. She looked at the plant and patted its head.

She sniffed and told the plant, "I know…I don't like it when they're mad either." She wiped her eyes and went over to the jar filled with burdock and began to separate the old plants and the usable ones.

Christopher was sitting on the table. His dark blue eyes were looking at the witch sternly and his ears were pointed back. Anne Marie was sitting in a chair, cleaning the blade that was concealed in her staff. The air was tense with both of the magicians clearly still angry with the events that happened previously. It was also quiet, a tight uncomfortable silence that hung in the air like a dead animal.

"It was a mistake, Anne Marie," Christopher said in a tight voice. "We both know that she would never run away from us."

"Well…" Anne Marie's accented voice sounded like a hiss. "She could've come back home when she finished with that archer character. But did she? I think not."

"But she didn't want to be rude to the boy," Christopher's eyes narrowed. "She was just being polite."

"Yes…but she knows that it is dangerous to be in the city." Anne Marie stood up quickly. Moving to the table, she slammed her hands on the table and glared at Christopher. "Who knows if Xana or his underlings were one of those humans? We would never see her again and then he'd be able to track us down here. She would have put our entire lives in jeopardy. If not, the entire Lyoko kingdom."

"But I spoke to Nightshade when we arrived home. She also said that they were not bad humans. In fact, they were really nice according to her."

"I know Nightshade speaks the truth, she always has…" Anne Marie shook her head. "But that still doesn't explain why she did not come back."

The room fell to silence. Christopher walked to the edge of the table and looked deeply into her eyes.

"You always tell her to expand her horizons," Christopher said quietly. "She tried to do that and you yell at her. She's never had any friends besides us, Nightshade and that stupid plant in the herb room."

Anne Marie closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Christopher's, and turned her back to him.

"I know that," Anne Marie said through gritted teeth. "But what if Xana or the Black Cloaked Society found her? We both know that the time for either of them to strike is drawing nearer and nearer. She needs to be here to build up her magic so she'll be able to defend herself."

"You've been scrying the waterfall to much, I think," Christopher muttered, rolling his eyes at the witch. "It does not tell you when something is about to happen."

"Yes, but it helps me know," Anne Marie said, moving back to her chair. She looked at Christopher seriously. "It's only a matter of time. People with no skills in magic do not belong in our trade. Remember what happened the last time someone who was not a witch or wizard got involved with us?"

Christopher's eyes darkened, clouding with sadness. Anne Marie also looked upset after what she said. Christopher looked back up at her, his voice was low.

"I do, of course…But now that they met her, they won't stop till they find her."

"Exactly…" Anne Marie shifted in her chair. "We're either going to have to erase their memories-which is forbidden, mind you. Or we're going to have to kill them. Put them out of their misery before they learn more about us."

Christopher opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something, but nothing came out. He looked down at the ground, defeated.

"I understand, mistress…" He mumbled.

The dark coloured cat jumped off of the table and walked past Lady Anne. His tail drooped and dragged along the ground as he walked.

"Where do you think you're going?" Anne Marie asked in a tense voice.

"Out for some fresh air…" Christopher answered in a quiet voice.

"Be careful," Anne Marie warned. "It might still be raining."

"I know that," Christopher muttered as he walked up the stairs. He pushed his way out the opening and went out into the hilly meadow, letting the rain and wind buffet his fur.

Lightning flashed in the distance, in the direction of the forest. He turned into his panther form and ran towards the forest as the thunder clapped loudly nearby.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Traveler: I highly recommend it. It has its quirky humor but a very good story. Oh ho ho…you'll be shocked at who they first meet in the forest, but I do see how it would be if they encountered Lady Anne or Aelita. That would be very interesting indeed! Yeah, poor Jeremie…he looks as if he's the only sane and unadventurous one of the group. I'm sure his uncle would be very proud. Thanks for the review!**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: No problem! Thanks for the read! And your wish is my command, my dear.**_

_**Sheograth: She will eventually, she just trying to get past the focus part of it still. She did, however, used it once and nearly burnt the flower in the second chapter. Not really anything big, but hey! She did attempt to try. Thanks for the review, once again!**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: I sure hope I didn't get you in trouble! But, yes! My attempt at humor worked out after all. It will be interesting when the group meets up with Aelita again and I'm glad you're excited. Thanks for the read and the review!**_

* * *

_**A/N: Aelita is locked in the herb room and Anne and Christopher argue/talk. Now I have an assignment for you! If you figure out the parallel to this "Black Cloaked Society" to which certain group in the Code Lyoko universe, I'll give you a cookie…a virtual cookie.**_

_**Anyways, good luck to yeah and thanks for the read! Please review and stick around for the next chapter. Stay thirsty, my friends. (Still not sued, so I'm still gonna use it!) **_


	14. Encounter

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Thirteen: Encounter**_

* * *

Though the rain had past now, the winds were still high and the thunder and lightning stuck around. It was sure to rain again but they didn't care. The group of five pressed on through the dark forest with only a lantern to light the way.

Odd and his wolf, Kiwi, led the way. He held the lantern up with his left hand and clutched his bow with his right. Kiwi kept his ears and eyes alert, in the case of a wandering monsters that could attack. Yumi and Ulrich took the back. Ulrich insisted on keeping an eye on her, being that she did have the bounty on her head and once this was all done, he was going to bring her in. The thief just laughed and walked on when she heard that. Odd knew that his best friend was lying to himself and couldn't help but chuckle. The book shelf boy, Jeremie, took to the middle, having no combat skills whatsoever. He shivered as he walked. The three insisted that he just stay behind, but the young man proved to be more stubborn than anyone could hope for so they eventually just let him come along. Clearly, he wasn't used to being out in during a storm, but he insisted he was fine.

The group was dead quiet the entire time through the forest. Odd, who had traveled through the forest many, many times warned the group of the unnatural creatures of the forest.

"Now you need to be quiet in this part of the forest," Odd warned in a whisper.

"Why is that?" Jeremie asked, raising a brow.

"Because the monsters are worst in this area."

"What did he say?" Yumi asked Ulrich. "I can hardly hear him."

"I think he said to be quiet," Ulrich answered.

"Hey! I said be quiet!" Odd shouted. Kiwi growled at his master to keep quiet. Odd covered his mouth and looked at Kiwi. The wolf had an annoyed look in his eyes. "Sorry, buddy."

"You're seriously talking to your dog?" Jeremie asked in a whisper.

Odd nodded. "Of course! He understands human speech."

Jeremie narrowed his eyes. "Dogs can't do that."

"This one can," Odd said defensively. "He doesn't look like it, but he's very smart."

"Okay, yeah, whatever," Yumi said, rolling her eyes. "Let's get going okay because I don't want to be under the wrong tree when the lightning strikes again."

Odd grunted something and the group continued walking. The wind continued to howl, making the trees sway violently. Kiwi walked with his nose on the ground, scenting if any danger was in the area.

Lightning flashed and thunder clapped. Kiwi perked his ears and his head, stopping and looking forward. He sniffed the air and growled, eyes narrowing. Odd stopped when he noticed his dog not following, and the others stopped when he did.

"What's wrong boy?" Odd asked Kiwi in a quiet voice.

The wolf began to snarl, moving into a defensive position.

"What's wrong with your dog?" Jeremie asked. "There is nothing bad out from what I can see."

Kiwi began to bark loudly, his tail trashing out fiercely. Odd ran to his dog and tried to settle the yapping beast.

"Kiwi! Settle down!" Odd scolded the dog. "You know we're supposed to be quiet in this part of the forest."

But Kiwi ignored. With quick speed, the wolf ran ahead, leaving the four behind. Odd's eyes widened and he went after his dog, leaving behind the rule of being quiet.

"Kiwi! Come back here!" Odd shouted after the dog.

"Come on," Ulrich growled. "We better go before we lose all of our light."

"That dog sure is something…" Jeremie grumbled before running with the two.

The three chased after Odd, following after the bobbing light of the lantern. When they caught up with him, they were in a circular forest clearing. Several lit torches were encircled in the area, providing a much needed light. Even though the wind was fierce, the fire seemed to stay perfectly still among the gales.

Odd let out a shriek, making the three look down at the ground. Sure enough, there was Odd, on his knees. In front of him was an unconscious Kiwi. The wolf had a fresh cut on his side that looked like it was made by a blade. Odd had his hands on his beloved pet, his eyes wide with terror.

"Kiwi…who did this to you?" Odd asked the sleeping dog.

Suddenly, they heard a cold chuckle. The group looked up and learned that they were the only ones not in the clearing. On the opposite side was a figure, dressed in a black robe. The hood was pulled over the head, hiding the face. A sword, the blade pointed downward, with fresh blood was in the hands of the hiding figure.

"You! You did this to my dog didn't you?" Odd snarled, clutching his bow tightly.

"The mutt needed to be silenced," the voice, a male, said coldly. "I would've killed it but it would've been too easy for me."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Yumi spat at the cloaked man.

"Such a rude young lady," the cloaked man growled. "Here I was taking a stroll, trying to look for an old friend. But look at what I found instead…a group of misfits and a stupid dog."

"He is not stupid!" Odd shouted. "I'll kill you for hurting him!" He set the lantern down and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He placed the arrow in position and pulled back, then letting the arrow sing through the air.

With blinding speed, the cloaked figure took one hand off of the sword and caught the arrow's shaft. Odd's, and everyone else's, eyes widened in shock. It was nearly impossible to catch an arrow going that fast! But the cloak figure only let out a chuckle, tossing the arrow to the ground.

"You shouldn't make enemies with us," he said in a cold, musical tone. "Run along while you still can, boys and girl."

"Like hell I am!" Odd exclaimed. "You did this to my dog, you're dead meat!"

"Enough!" A new voice called out, a familiar one to Jeremie's ears.

From the bushes, out jumped the panther that stole Aelita away just not long ago. The golden chains wrapped around his body glinted in the flame's light, the sun emblem around his neck shinning brightly. The black panther was snarling at the cloaked figure.

"You!" The group shouted at the panther. They began to draw their weapons, looking at the panther with hard stares.

"It's not that I'm happy to see you lot either," The panther shrugged and directed his gaze on the cloaked figure. "But I am not pleased to see the likes of you so close to my home."

"Aw…Lord Christopher," the cloaked figure sounded pleased. "I was hoping to stop near your home and visit you and Lady Anne Marie. Unfortunately I have no idea where it is."

"And we plan on keeping it that way," Christopher growled. "Leave now!"

"So rude for such a cat…" the cloaked figure shook his head. "And I have a message for you too."

"I'm not interested in the least bit. You can take your Black Cloaked Society and shove it up your-"

"Hold on!" Jeremie interrupted. "What in blazes is going on?"

"This is none of your business, human," the cloaked man snarled. "Do not interrupt us."

"Like hell we aren't," Yumi growled back.

Christopher looked at them, his blue eyes pleading despite the snarl on his face. "This does not concern you! You will only get yourselves hurt."

"That loser hurt my dog!" Odd cried out. "I'm not going to leave until I kick his ass."

The panther grunted, knowing that he couldn't win this.

The cloaked figure laughed. "Looks like the kitty and his witch made friends…human friends. Haven't you learned not to associate with them in this kind of business?"

"That was all your fault, you heartless bloke!"

Christopher launched himself at the cloaked figure, claws extended out. But before the panther could land on his target, a barrier of dark purple energy surrounded the cloaked member. Christopher's eyes widened and he spat out a curse before being thrown back by the barrier's energy and landing outside of the clearing.

Odd took it as his chance to fire another arrow but the shield intercepted it, breaking the arrow in two on contact. Ulrich dashed at the shield and began striking at it. Yumi threw her fans at the shield as well, trying to go in for a hit from a distance. Unfortunately, the attacks went to no avail. The fans fell back, hitting the ground near Kiwi's body. Ulrich, like Christopher, was thrown back, landing and knocking over Yumi. Christopher ran out of the bushes, shaking the leaves and foliage from his pelt.

"This is pointless, really," the black cloaked man said with a yawn. "I'll just leave this scroll behind." He directed his attention to the group. "Now heed this you lot. Since you attack me today, you are now considered enemies among the Black Cloak Society. I'd sleep with one eye open from now on if I were you…"

With the final words echoing throughout the clearing, the dark cloaked man disappeared in a black smoke. All that remained when the man was gone was a scroll. Christopher got rid of his snarl and walked to the scroll. He sniffed the rolled up paper and turned his head away from it, his lips curled in disgust. Then, he looked at the group.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"Ulrich got himself off of Yumi, who complained loudly about him not getting off of her in the first place. But besides from the unconscious wolf, everyone seemed to be okay. The panther nodded at them. A bright light surrounded his body and when the light vanished, he was in his normal dark coloured house cat form.

"Who the hell was that?" Odd asked in a loud, irritated voice.

"It's a long story," Christopher sighed. "But we need to get that wolf some medical attention."

"Heh, like you'll look at him," Yumi's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Christopher narrowed his eyes. "I know we were enemies earlier but now you're in a lot of trouble with the Society. I'll bring you back to my place. We can heal the wolf and talk."

"But what about that witch?" Ulrich asked. "She threatened us with death the last time we saw you."

"She'll understand," Christopher said quietly. "She would never let an animal die. But we must hurry or it'll be too late to save your wolf."

The group nodded. Odd picked up his unconscious dog and Jeremie took the lantern. Following after the estranged dark cat, the group moved away from the clearing. The thunder and lightning had stopped but the wind was still howling. The promise of seeing that apprentice girl and getting some answers was in the air but the loss of Kiwi was present as well.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Traveler: Well, let's hope this appearance makes you satisfied. It did for me, at least! And congratulations, you got it right! Of course, they'll be explained a lot more in the coming chapters but I hope the one member revealed will be enough for now. Thanks for the review, my loyal reader! **_

_**Sheograth: Thank you. Yeah…it was one of those boring, filler/talking chapters…but at least it was good enough for a "good job". Thank you for the review!**_

_**A-QueenofFairys: Well, that's good. And what was that hunch, may I ask? You thought he was going to kill them or something? EEK! I hope not! But anyways, you are correct with your guess! And don't worry, more about them will be made clear later on. Thanks for the review!**_

* * *

_**A/N: Well, here you all go, my little baby fledglings. And if you guessed what the Black Cloaked Society is and answered "The Men in Black", you are correct! Anyways, nothing new to report…working on fan art and on the next chapter where Aelita meets with the group once again. Let's just hope Kiwi makes it there alive and Anne Marie doesn't kill them…**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review! You're criticism and feelings are always appreciated! Stay thirsty my friends.**_


	15. Message

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Fourteen: Message**_

* * *

The wind began to die down when the group made it to the edge of the forest. The dawning sun was rising over the horizon, breaking up the clouds that had covered the night sky. Kiwi was still unconscious. Blood had turned his tan-grey fur to crimson and he was breathing shallowly. Odd was beginning to fear the worse for his dog.

"Are we almost there?" Odd asked, his face showing how desperate he was for the health of his dog.

"Almost," Christopher answered. "It's not far from the edge of the forest."

"It better be," Odd growled. "If he dies on me, I'm skinning you like a cat."

A glint of humor shone in Christopher's eyes. "Well, I'm already a cat so we don't have to go far for that now do we?"

The group, led by the dark cat, walked at a quick pace through the hilly meadow. Christopher had an uneasy feeling, his tail was drooping and his muscles were tense.

"Hey, um…Christopher was it?" Ulrich asked. The cat flicked his ears at him, a sign to continue speaking. "Why are you being so nice to us?"

"Someone has to," Christopher replied with a shrug. "Besides, it's not like wizards and witches should isolate themselves from humans. Now I have some rules that you might have to abide by when you enter the den."

The cat took a deep breath. "I don't like these rules myself but you guys are not exactly on Anne Marie's good side."

"We understand," Yumi answered though her face should the dislike of having to follow rules.

"Good…one do not speak unless spoken to and definitely do not interrupt the lady. She hates it when she is interrupted. That's basically it."

"Not a lot of rules. Just as I like it," Yumi said with a satisfied smile.

"Will we see Aelita?" Jeremie asked.

Christopher's muscles tensed and his eyes widened. He looked back at the group. "I am not sure."

"How can you not be sure?" Odd asked in an irritated tone. "She lives with you guys."

"It's complicated…" Christopher responded. He pointed his tail at the hole with a blanket hanging over it, acting as a door. "That's the den!"

He immediately broke out into a run and the others followed his pace. In no time, they made it to the blanket covered hole. Christopher looked at the group, his blue eyes serious.

"I'll go in first," he said quietly. "You follow in close behind."

The group nodded and Christopher let out a small purr. He slipped under the blanket and walked down the stairs. Jeremie, who was in front after the cat, turned off the lantern, pushed the blanket to the side and followed the cat. The three followed after him, with Odd in the back holding the wolf still, despite his arms growing tired. When they reached the bottom, a woman with long red hair had her back turned to the stairway. Much to the group's dismay, Aelita was nowhere in sight. Christopher jumped up onto the table and looked at his companion's back.

"Hello Christopher…" Anne Marie said in a smooth hiss. "I see you brought friends with you…_human_ friends."

"Yes, Anne," Christopher answered, bowing his head. "Please forgive me. But one of them is hurt. It's the wolf."

Anne Marie quickly turned around, her eyes wide. She walked quickly towards the group and placed a hand on the wolf in Odd's arms. She was looking down at the animal, touching the crimsoned fur.

"Did you do this to him?" Anne Marie growled at the wolf's master.

"Of course I wouldn't!" Odd shouted. "He's my dog for crying out loud!"

"We were attacked by the Black Cloaked Society," Christopher said. Anne Marie looked at the cat, her eyes narrowing.

"Do not tell me they attacked them," Anne Marie snarled. Christopher looked to the side and did not answer. "Great…that's what we need. Now we have to babysit you lot! We'd be better off just killing you instead of you having to suffer that their hands."

"Master," a voice came from an open doorway. In that doorway stood the pink haired apprentice. Aelita…

"Aelita, this is none of your concern," Anne Marie looked at her student, giving her a warning look. "Go back now."

"But please master!" Aelita pleaded, her green eyes holding back tears. "They are not bad people. Now please, let me tend to the dog."

Anne Marie snorted but said nothing more. She moved away from the group and sat back down in the chair with her back at them. Aelita moved to her friends but did not smile at them. She nodded at Odd, looking at her somberly.

"Hey Maya-I mean, Aelita…" Odd greeted her in a quiet voice.

"Please place your wolf on the table in front of you and I'll examine him," Aelita muttered, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

"Come on Aelita!" Odd looked at her with desperate eyes. "You know his name is Kiwi."

Aelita looked at him with her sad green eyes and mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to her friends. The group looked at her with mouths open, not wanting to believe that she was denying their friendship. Odd and Jeremie seemed to take it the hardest. Christopher gave them a sympathetic look before jumping down from the table to give Kiwi some space.

Odd, after shaking the feeling away, walked up to the table and gently set his wolf onto the table. Aelita looked over the wound and disappeared into the herb room. She returned with a handful of green leaves and some bandages.

"Will he be okay?" Odd asked the pink haired girl.

Aelita gave a small nod. "He will be once I have finished. Do not worry."

"Okay, now that we have that under control," Christopher meowed in a sing-song voice. "Let's tell you guys all about the secret Society."

"You sound awfully cheerful about it," Yumi growled at the cat.

Christopher shrugged and looked at them. "Hey, it's great to try to be cheerful when you take about something dark." He looked at the sulking witch. "Able to help, my lady?"

Anne Marie grunted and walked to one of the expansive bookshelves. Odd was shocked that Jeremie wasn't having an attack of joy over all the books that were in this home. Anne Marie pulled out a black, leather bound book that had pages that looked as if they were going to fall out.

"We made this one ourselves," Christopher explained. "We chronicled the events of the Black Cloaked Society ever since…well, you wouldn't want to know about that."

Anne Marie nearly threw the book onto the table, almost letting the loose pages fly out of the book. The book was fairly thick for something that was supposed to act like a journal.

Christopher hopped up onto the table and opened the book with his paw.

"First of all, I want you guys to understand that there are three main categories a wizard or witch could master. One is the art of elemental invocation. That is where you can use any of the four elements to do your biding. The second is the art of shape-shifting and that is pretty self explanatory. Finally, the third art is the art of summoning, where one can summon demons or spirits. A wizard or witch can be fairly good at all three but some tend to stick to one category. The Black Cloaked Society is mainly composed of summoners.

"The Society was founded several hundred years ago by an emperor and empress of the kingdom of Lyoko. The Society is different from the Magic Council that would advise the emperor and empress for they would perform the secret killings and other plots the Council would not do. They were once very loyal to the kingdom…"

"_Once _loyal?" Ulrich repeated.

Anne Marie folded her arms over her chest and answered, not looking at the group. "Almost thirteen years ago, an evil wizard who was fed up with the ways of how the king and queen were ruling took control of the Society, filling the wizards' heads with evil propaganda. They summoned an evil god and attacked the castle. Two newly appointed council members and a human were able to stop the god but it was in vain. The emperor and the empress were slain, as well as the other four members of the council. The human that fought alongside the two also died as well. When that happened, the evil wizard took control of the empire, banishing magic throughout the kingdom of Lyoko. He and the Society are the only ones who use it now and they execute anyone who uses it besides them."

"Ever since that day, we have been hiding from them and fighting them in a secret war," Christopher continued. He pointed his tail at Aelita, who was wrapping a bandage around Kiwi's midsection. "We found her near the castle one day and feared that she'd be killed if anyone saw her. So we took her in and taught her the skills that we know. We hope that one day, with the three of us, we can stop the Society and the wizard."

"But it is a Society!" Jeremie cried out. "They probably have a lot more members than you three."

"We may be few in numbers but we are tough," Christopher put in.

"Do not doubt our strength," Anne Marie spoke in quietly. "We almost killed you lot when we had our scuffle not long ago."

Odd wanted to spit something back at the witch but bit his tongue, not wanting to look like a fool in front of the girl helping his dog.

"You four should go once the dog is healed," Anne Marie said as she turned her back on them.

"How can we now that we have targets on our heads?" Yumi asked. "Like you guys said, we're in trouble with those Society bastards. We are no longer safe in our homes."

"Well then, maybe you shouldn't have attacked that one," Anne Marie advised, looking over her shoulder at the group.

"Did you read the message that guy gave you?" Ulrich asked Christopher.

Anne Marie quickly turned around and looked at the cat with wide, shocked eyes. "A message?"

The scroll appeared suddenly in Christopher's mouth. He mumbled something inaudible and the witch took roll out of his mouth. She undid the tie and opened it up. After several moments, her eyes widened even further and her eye brows shot up.

"What does it say?" Christopher asked.

"'_The hermit is in trouble…better hurry or we'll get to him first.'_" Anne Marie read back in a tight voice.

Her eyes flashed in anger and unexpectedly, the scroll combusted into flames. The group jumped as the ashes of the former scroll landed onto the floor.

"Those Society bastards!" Anne Marie shouted, throwing her arms down at her side.

"Who is this hermit?" Yumi asked.

"One of the last remaining wizards, a powerful one," Christopher answered. He glanced at the fuming witch and then at the group. "You guys should probably get going…your dog is asleep but not in trouble anymore."

"Why?" Odd asked, his eyebrow twitching. "We're walking bulls-eyes now. How can we go home if we know that we're not safe?"

"That's for you guys to figure out, I guess," Christopher answered solemnly. "Sorry to say…"

"Why can't they come along with us?" It was Aelita's voice. Everyone turned to look at her. She was looking rather shy, her arms behind her back and her legs crossed. She was looking down at the ground. "They are not safe anymore and I do not want their deaths on my conscience."

"Why would they be on your conscience if they died?" Lady Anne Marie asked sincerely, taking a step towards her student.

"Because, it's technically my fault they were dragged into this," Aelita answered, looking up at her master. "Look, master. There homes are probably being staked out as we speak. Can could die as soon as they reach home!"

Anne Marie narrowed her eyes but kept her voice polite. "Aelita…"

"Please master! I beg of you!"

"It will be a dangerous journey…both you and I know that."

"They are tough!" Aelita answered, waving her hand at the group in a slow motion. "Three of them and the wolf have skills in combat. One of them even saved me from one of the monsters. And that blonde boy with the glasses, he is very intelligent."

Anne Marie shifted her green gaze onto the group. She was examining each one, her lips pressed tightly together. It looked like she was actually considering letting them come with.

After several intense moments, she finally spoke.

"It will be a hard journey and I'm not sure if all of them come out alive…but all of them seem like they are willing to fight against the Society…I'll allow it."

The group and Aelita smiled and jumped joyfully at the news. Even the cat looked pleased.

"But I will not enjoy the extra company!" Anne Marie put in over the noise.

"Don't worry!" Odd answered back. "I don't like you either!"

Aelita thought that the witch would attack the archer but was shocked to see she didn't. Instead, her mentor looked…happy, a glint of humor in her usually serious eyes.

"Anyways…we'll leave when the moon rises," Anne Marie continued. "Get your rest in and if you are not ready to leave, I'm feeding you to my plant."

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: Oh…she did. Just wait till they get out onto the trail. Thanks for the comment!**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Phew…that's a relief. And congrats on being half-right! Seriously? Oh, I cannot wait to see it! Please tell me right away! And thank you so much for the review!**_

_**Traveler: Well, Aelita did plead for them and Annie here was generally pissed that humans were in her home. Thanks for the review!**_

* * *

_**A/N: Good news everyone! Kunimitsu here finally uploaded some fan art of Aelita and Anne Marie onto her lousy dA account! Just go to the site and look for the same exact name that I use here. Or you could just search Code Lyoko and look at the newest stuff…your choice. **_

_**Anyways, thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty my friends.**_


	16. The Journey Begins

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Fifteen: The Journey Begins**_

* * *

"Okay guys! Time to wake up! The carriage is almost set!"

Christopher's voice echoed throughout the den but no one stirred. The fours humans and apprentice were still asleep. Jeremie was hugging the leg of the table, muttering sweet nothings to it about some random girl. Aelita was in a chair, slumped over and also muttering random stuff. But unlike Jeremie, Aelita muttering something about large badgers fighting snakes. Perhaps the oddest sleepers were the group of Ulrich, Yumi and Odd. Yumi had her arms around Ulrich and Ulrich had his arms around her. Odd had his arms around Ulrich's waist and he was snoring rather loudly.

Christopher cursed and jumped down from stair to stair.

"Come on now! We need to get going and-"

His eyes widened when she saw the sleeping people. To be frank, the feline wizard had no idea how to react. He walked over to Jeremie. He sat down and noticed a cup still filled with water on the table. A devilish glint came across his eyes as an idea came to mind.

"Water…listen to the sound of my voice," Christopher whispered. The water in the cup rose up, a sign that the element was listening. "Wake up this boy."

With a flick of his tail, the element obeyed, flying towards the sleeping blonde boy. The water slapped him on the face. Immediately, he jolted up screaming. A chain reaction followed with Aelita jumping up out of her chair, eyes wide in alarm and searching the room. Then, the three who were sleeping together woke up.

"What's the big ide-AAAA!" Yumi began to say but stopped when she saw Ulrich and began to scream. Ulrich opened his eyes, saw his hands and hers and then joined in on the screaming.

"Can you all just shut-AAAHHHH!" Odd screamed when he noticed his hands around Ulrich. Ulrich looked back at Odd and screamed once again. Over all the screaming, Christopher couldn't help but laugh. The dark cat rolled onto his back, laughing hysterically as the group screamed. Aelita looked at her feline master and narrowed her eyes.

"Why do you have to be like that?" she asked in an angry tone.

"What was that for you evil little cat?" Odd shouted. "I'm going to hurt you for that!"

Christopher couldn't stop laughing. "I like to see you try!"

Jeremie reached up and grabbed the cup off of the table, throwing the empty container at the cat. Christopher screeched and jumped out of the way before the cup could hit him.

"Don't you guys have a sense of humor?" Christopher asked, sitting down and wrapping his bushy tail over his front paws.

"Not when we get a rude awakening…" Ulrich grumbled. He let out a large yawn and wiped at his eyes. "A simple 'Hey! Time to get up' would've worked too…"

"But that's not as fun," Christopher purred. "Now come on you lot. Nightshade is all ready to go and we have to get going as soon as possible."

"Okay Christopher…" Aelita stood up from her chair and adjusted her outfit. She looked at her cat mentor, who was now delicately licking his right front paw. "Did you pack the wands?"

"Yes," Christopher answered, not looking up from his cleaning.

"The spell books?" Aelita asked.

"Yes."

Aelita looked around the room, as if she was looking for something in particular. Not finding the item, she let out a groan.

"Ugh…is she really bringing Esmeralda?" Aelita asked in an annoyed tone.

Christopher laughed nervously. "You know how she loves that thing…"

"Esmeralda?" Odd repeated the name. "Sounds sexy. Who is that?"

Aelita was about to explain who this 'Esmeralda' was but Christopher butted in.

"She is one of Anne's friends and she's very beautiful and kind too," Christopher answered. Odd could not see the mischievous shine in the cat's eyes.

Before Aelita could clear up what Christopher said, Odd's eyes began to glow. He was obviously excited at the chance of traveling with at least one female who was not dangerous or would want to rip his throat out. The archer grabbed his belongings and quickly ran up the stairs.

"I'm coming for you Esmeralda!" He shouted.

Aelita looked at her master and shook her head. "Why did you have to tell him that?"

"Who is this Esmeralda?" Yumi asked as she stood up and began getting her stuff together.

"You'll see if you hurry," Christopher replied in a musical voice. He was purring very loudly at this point. "You'll be in for a show, that's for sure."

* * *

"I'm coming for you Esmeralda!" Odd shouted as he ran out of the hole.

Anne Marie was adjusting Nightshade's harness and was shocked when she saw the archer running towards her and the cart.

"What in the bloody hell?" She shouted as Odd jumped onto the carriage.

Kiwi, who was still recovering from his injuries, was lying in the cart next to a trunk. The trunk had an image of a white skull painted over the lock and the rest of the wood was painted black. Kiwi flicked his tail in greeting at his master before lying his head back down. Odd patted the wolf and opened up the trunk. Inside were countless magic supplies; herbs, wands, books, anything a witch would you use you could find in there. He grunted and shut the trunk and began looking around the premise of the carriage.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Anne Marie shouted once again.

"Where is she?" Odd asked, looking for this Esmeralda.

"Where is who?" Anne Marie growled.

"Esmeralda! Don't tell me you killed her!"

"Oh…Esmeralda." The witch walked to the carriage and pulled out a broom. It was an old looking broom, with old hard bristles and a long thick rod.

Odd stared at the witch in disbelief. "Where is Esmeralda?"

"You're looking at her, bloke." Anne Marie narrowed her eyes. "What did you expect?"

"…I don't want to answer that," Odd growled, folding his arms over his chest.

"You're a pervert," Anne Marie growled, walking back to the carriage and placing the broom back in.

"I am not!" Odd shouted, clutching the bow in his hand tightly.

Anne Marie nodded, pulled out a pipe and stuck the end in her mouth. She snapped her finger and fire appeared at the tip of her index finger. She lit the pipe and shook the fire away. She blew smoke at Odd, who glared at her in response.

"You all set there, archer boy?" Anne Marie as she went back to attending to Nightshade.

"I guess…" Odd growled.

"Good…then get into the cart," Anne Marie patted the mare's neck.

Odd grumbled something and jumped into the cart. At that time, the rest of the group came out of the den, clutching their belongings.

"Did we miss the show?" Ulrich asked aloud.

"If you meant the show of your perverted friend realizing that Esmeralda was a broom?" Anne Marie asked. "Then yes you did."

"I didn't know she was a broom!" Odd shouted from inside the cart. He was on the ground, petting his dog.

The group, except for Aelita and Jeremie, groaned in disappointment.

"Well, c'mon!" Christopher meowed cheerfully. "We do not have all night."

He ran towards the carriage and jumped up into the driver's seat. The four friends went to the cart and jumped inside. They sat on the blanket that covered the ground and tried to get comfortable.

"Are you guys ready?" Christopher asked loudly.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Jeremie answered for the group.

"Fabulous!" Christopher purred.

Anne Marie jumped up into the driver's seat, holding onto the reins with her hands. She looked at the group, her green eyes serious.

"This is your last chance to change your mind," Anne Marie warned. "Anyone who wants to stay behind?"

The five people in back looked at each other, then nodded. Aelita looked at her master and smiled.

"No ma'am," Aelita answered. "We're all ready to go."

"I see…" Anne Marie looked forward and moved the rains in an up-down motion. "Go on, Nightshade."

The horse snorted and the carriage began to move. Nightshade was moving at a brisk walk through the hilly meadow. With only the moon as the light source for the evening, the group began their journey. Unknown to the dangers and trials that will be put upon them in the days, weeks, and possibly months coming…

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Hm….never thought of it that way. And yes! They have finally joined forces. Now let's hope they don't kill each other before they meet this hermit.**_

* * *

_**A/N: I really don't have much to say in this update. But next time we'll learn more about this hermit. Not much happened in this chapter but it's good to have some humor every once in a while.**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty my friends. **_


	17. Vicious Battle on the Meadow Plain

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Sixteen: Vicious –Battle on the Meadow Plain**_

* * *

"So, who exactly is this hermit?" Jeremie asked, looking up at the two people sitting in the carriage driver's seat.

Anne Marie, still with her pipe in her mouth, blew out a ring of smoke.

"His name is Jean-Pierre Delmas, originally," Christopher answered. The dark cat jumped from the driver's seat to the back, landing onto Ulrich's shoulder. He looked at the swordsman, who was giving him a confused look. "Sorry…I like sitting on people's shoulders when I am speaking. So they don't have to look down to see me."

Ulrich shrugged with his unoccupied shoulder. "It's fine. Just don't claw me."

Christopher nodded and looked back the group. "He wanted to be called the hermit after the "witch hunt" as we call it went into place thirteen years ago."

"Why such an unflattering name?" Yumi asked.

"Because it's better than being found out and murdered," Christopher answered. "You'd rather cling to life than lose it and be lost in the afterlife wouldn't you?"

Yumi didn't answer but Jeremie asked another question.

"How far is this place?"

"About two nights away," Anne Marie answered before puffing out another ring of smoke.

"What?" Odd sat up and shouted. "Two nights?"

"You heard me pervert," Anne Marie growled. "You could've gone home and-"

"You hag!" Odd exclaimed. "You're lucky you're driving this cart because if you weren't I'd-"

"Oh, shut up, you idiot," Yumi said with a glare. The former thief leaned back, looking up at the moon and the stars. "We're probably going to have to take breaks anyway so it might be longer."

Christopher looked at Ulrich. "Is that archer always like this?" Christopher asked in a quiet tone.

"Yeah…pretty much," Ulrich answered in the same tone. Christopher purred and jumped back to his spot next to Anne Marie.

Aelita watched as the blonde archer rested his head on Kiwi's stomach. She checked the wound not long ago and was amazed to see the gash almost healed completely. The apprentice was happy that she picked a good combination of herbs to speed the healing process, something she'd have to remember to tell Anne Marie about now that they were on this journey. That would definitely come in handy on this trip, that's for sure. Thankfully, the wound didn't even seem to bug the wolf anymore. She leaned back and rested her head on the black trunk filled with magical instruments that Anne Marie and Christopher brought along. She sat in between Odd and Jeremie. Jeremie sat next Yumi, who sat next to Ulrich, who sat next to Odd. Aelita was glad that Christopher was getting along pretty well with the group so far, often cracking jokes with them. Anne Marie, on the other hand, wasn't willing to open up to her human's friends but Aelita could see that her mentor was having fun with having someone new to pick on.

* * *

"This is so boring," Odd complained after some time.

"Damn kids these days," Anne Marie grumbled. The fiery hair coloured witch turned her head to glare at Odd. "Then find something to do."

"What is there to do in this stupid carriage?" Odd asked, flashing an irritated glance at the witch.

"Well, for starters, you could polish the gems on my wands, ingest poison, groom your dog's fur, ingest more poison...Oh, the possibilities are endless!"

"Heh…ingesting poison sounds like fun," Odd mumbled sarcastically.

"Hey! If you do ingest poison, I'm not cleaning it up," Ulrich growled.

"I second that," Yumi said in the exact same tone.

Aelita was beginning to notice how the two seemed to get closer to each other, not physically but with the way they acted. At first she'd thought they'd be at each other's throats; Ulrich was an achieved bounty hunter who "never missed his man" according to Odd and Yumi was an accomplished thief with a heart of gold. Was it possible that the two were thinking to same thing? Probably not, but Aelita was curious enough to find out, just not now.

"Well, if he does ingest poison, I'll nurse him back to health," Christopher purred.

"Oh no you won't!" Odd shouted. "You'll probably just make it worse."

"Fine then…be that way." Christopher pretended to sound hurt but the humor was still in his blue eyes. "I'll just draw on your face as it turns blue. Or purple…I haven't seen a purple face in a long time."

"Hey! Whose side are you on?" Odd shouted at the cat.

All of a sudden, Kiwi's head shot up and his ears perked. A low growl rumbled in his throat. Nightshade was also acting strange, nickering nervously and throwing her head around.

"What's wrong with these animals?" Jeremie asked. "There is no one around."

Christopher's dark fur was standing up and he looked at the group. "That's weird…usually monsters are not in this part of the field."

"What are you talking about?" Jeremie pressed.

Aelita looked around the premise and felt the air change from light to heavy. She did see something moving around in the tall grasses.

"No, there is definitely something out there," Aelita confirmed.

Suddenly, from the tall grass, a creature jumped out. It was small and not really attractive, but then again none of Xana's minions were cute. It had a large tan-grey body with four stick-like legs that carried it. The ominous eye of Xana graced the front of its shell-like body and a red circle appeared under that.

"What the heck is that thing?" Jeremie shouted when he looked at the monster.

"Finally some action!" Odd cheerfully yelped. He grabbed his bow and jumped out of the still moving cart.

"Come on," Ulrich grunted to Yumi. "We better go make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

Yumi grumbled something but followed swordsman's lead when he jumped out of the cart. Christopher looked up at Anne Marie with pleading eyes, like he wanted to go along and fight. Anne Marie sighed.

"As long as you don't do anything stupid and make sure they don't do anything just as stupid," Anne Marie growled out the answer.

Christopher let out a cheerful meow and jumped out of the driver's seat and onto the ground. He began running after the three humans and in a flash; he turned into his black panther form. Aelita watched as the four charged into battle, feeling envious that she does not have the opportunity to go along and slay some minions.

"You know you can go along too," Anne Marie's voice was a shock to the apprentice, who jumped. Anne Marie raised a brow at the action but continued speaking. "Just bring a combat spell book and be careful."

Aelita's eyes glowed at the prospect of finally being able to be in battle. Usually it was Lady Anne and Christopher who got all the action! Aelita, in a blind rush, opened the black trunk and looked around for the book. After several moments of searching and finding the wrong book, she found it and ran off the carriage and towards the battle.

"Hey! Wait for me!" She shouted after the four already closing in on the monsters.

All that was left in the cart were Jeremie, Anne Marie, Kiwi and Nightshade, who was still pulling forward. Anne Marie blew out smoke and looked at Jeremie.

"Aren't you going to go with?" Anne Marie asked, sticking the pipe back in her mouth.

"If you haven't noticed, I have no combat skills whatsoever," Jeremie muttered. "I was just a simple library boy until I meant your student."

"Then I think you have a pretty boring life," Anne Marie said, turning her head forward to look to Nightshade. "Well then, you get to stay and "protect" the carriage with me, prince charming."

Jeremie glared at the witch and turned his head to watch the battle unfold.

* * *

"Okay…there are usually five of these ugly little things that travel in a group," Christopher growled as he lead them into battle. "Each one of you can manage one, I think."

"Anything else?" Ulrich asked.

"Yeah! Don't get killed!" Odd shouted as he readied his bow.

Just as Christopher said, there were indeed five of the ugly shell-like monsters. Odd fired an arrow at the lead monster's red dot. Unfortunately, as soon as the arrow made contact, it snapped in half. Odd cursed aloud and readied another arrow.

"Where do we aim?" Aelita asked her mentor.

"The ugly spot above the red dot," Christopher said as he made a massive jump onto one of the monsters.

Aelita noticed how he didn't say "Eye of Xana". He and Lady Anne must be keeping quiet about him so then the humans wouldn't get involved with him as well. Aelita watched as her friends attacked their own chosen monster. Christopher bit down hard onto the mark, scratching furiously at its hard shell. Ulrich and Yumi fought back to back. Aelita was amazed at how good of a swordsman Ulrich really was, worthy of his title of "elite swordsman". Yumi opened up her unusual fan weapon and threw it at the monster, hitting the mark perfectly. Odd fired another arrow skillfully at the monster, this time hitting his mark.

Suddenly, she felt something knock her over onto the ground. The shell monster ran into her, making her lose her balance. That was when she realized that she was actually involved in this fight and her mentors were not going to save her. The monster had backed up quite a ways and began charging up its attack, the red dot glowing threateningly. Aelita had n o idea what to do and it was no time to be reading on how to attack.

_Why did she give me this stupid book?_ Aelita asked herself. _I don't even know how to fight! I am so stupid!_

Then, a thought came to her. She remembered not long ago when she nearly burnt down the down the herb room. She closed her eyes and focused, trying to think of something to do with fire. A hot summer day, Anne Marie using her finger to light her stupid pipe, a powerful wild fire.

She opened her eyes and realized the fire swirling around her. At the moment she opened her eyes, the fire shot out wildly, hitting the monster. The monster shrieked as it burned before ultimately falling over and disappearing. Aelita's eyes widened and looked down at her hands. Both of them were engulfed with flames still but she was feeling the pain of being burnt. Her face widened into a full grin and she cheered, jumping up and down.

"I created fire!" She exclaimed. "I finally focused and did it!"

"Great!" She heard Odd shout. "Now stop before you lit me on fire!"

She turned around and saw the fire, literally, chasing after the blonde archer. Christopher, Yumi and Ulrich were in a fit as they watched it, thinking that it was almost too good to be true. Aelita laughed nervously before calling off the element.

"Thank you fire," she thanked the element silently as it disappeared. She walked up to Odd, looking over him concerned. "Are you okay?"

Odd was panting hard but didn't look like he got burned. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"That was amazing!" Christopher purred; now back in his normal small cat form. He rubbed his head against her leg. "You did well for your first battle."

"That was your first battle?" Ulrich asked. "I can't believe it…"

"I can't either," Yumi added in. "But then again, I've never seen magic in battle. But anyways, good job!"

Aelita smiled at her friends and looked once again at Odd. He was still panting but he flashed her a congratulatory smile.

"Come on now kids!" Christopher said. "Let's go back to the cart."

It took a moment to find the cart but when they did, they noticed Anne Marie had stopped it. She flipped her hair back and placed her pipe back in her mouth. She had her staff in her hand and a fierceness in her green eyes.

"One of those sneaky devils tried to attack the cart," she explained. She nodded her head Jeremie. "Prince charming over there cowered the entire time."

Jeremie glared at the witch. "I didn't cower! I was just shielding myself with the side of the carriage."

"Fine…" Anne Marie looked at the group once again. "How did you lot do?"

"Excellent!" Christopher spoke for the group. "You won't believe what Aelita did!"

"I cannot wait. Let us take a break and you can tell me. Nightshade needs to rest anyways."

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Traveler: I'm fine. I just haven't had much to say and my sister wanted to use the computer so I had to be frank with my Author Notes. I apologize. And yes, it may seem cliché but I just had to add in the broom. There will be plenty of opportunities, mostly humorous, for Esmeralda to make 'her' appearance. Yeah, Jeremie seems like he's one of the key people to get picked on by the witch and the wizard. And I can assure you that the dream is prophetical, just there for random humor. Thank you for the review!**_

_**Mystique: Yeah, that was one of the parts I had to add in. I'm glad someone finds it humorous. And, unfortunately, no. It is not a parallel to Franz Hopper. But he will be a very key figure later on, I promise! Thank you for the read and review!**_

* * *

_**A/N: I actually have something to say in this on and also another fun fact! Fun fact first. When I was making this chapter and looking for a name, I was listening to the Shadow Hearts: Covenant soundtrack. One song in particular, a battle song, called "Vicious 1915-Battle in Europe" was the song I was listening to when I was writing the battle scene. I highly advise you to go listen to it! The pounding bass is amazing and the "chanting" is cool.**_

_**Now onto the news. I am drawing a group shot of the gang. I will not be able to upload it till about Wednesday but I will let you know when I do. I also do not have a colouring tool so I might advertize it on here if someone wants to colour it. But there will be more details when I post it.**_

_**Anyway, thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty my friends. **_


	18. I Do Know! Really!

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Seventeen: I Do Know! Really!**_

* * *

The fog rose off the grass that morning as the carriage pulled by the black and white mare made its way over a rolling field. It had been two moonrises since the gang of misfits left the witch and wizard's den and the trip to see the hermit seemed to be going smoothly so far. They only had to take a few breaks to let Nightshade to recharge but they only lasted for an hour before the mare was ready to go again. There had been only a few monster attacks as well, which was weird to Anne Marie and Christopher who say that usually Xana's minions never go this far.

Aelita was enjoying the time with her new human friends and with her mentors. Christopher seemed to really enjoy the company and would often joke around with the group. Anne Marie pretended not to like it but Aelita could see in her master's green eyes that she was enjoying having someone new to pick on. She also managed to get close to some of her new companions, mainly Odd and Jeremie.

Normally, she would talk to Jeremie, listening to what he would do before he met her. But then Odd would interrupt the conversation with something completely unrelated. Aelita would smile and laugh and watch the two duke out for her attention. It was childish, really, but a good laugh nonetheless.

She was also amazed at how fast Kiwi's would as healed. The wound had healed cleanly very quickly and hair was beginning to grow back. Aelita had to remember what herbs she used and tell Anne Marie.

"Hey look!" Christopher shouted, his tail swishing slowly from side to side. His voice woke up Yumi and Ulrich, who were sleeping. Odd, who was attempting to make more arrows, looked up. Jeremie and Aelita looked at the cat in confusion. "I see his den!"

Yumi yawned and rubbed your eyes. "Is it submerged underground like yours?"

"No…this one's actually more like a tent," Christopher answered. "But it's a nice tent!"

Aelita stood up and looked. Indeed, there was a tent made out of some animal hide. Aelita could see symbols and runes painted on the side but she was too far away to know what they read. As they neared the tent, she couldn't help but have a weird, uneasy feeling.

"What do the sides say?" Odd asked, finally noticing the runes painted on.

"It says-"Christopher started but was interrupted by Anne Marie.

"Don't tell him," she growled.

"Hey! Why not?" Odd snapped. "I can't read magic symbols and junk like that."

"Then look it up!" Anne Marie shouted back. "I have a book in the trunk about runes. You can read can't you?"

"I can!" Odd retorted. "And I hope you know that I-"

"Sh!" Anne Marie silenced him with a wave of her hand.

Odd gasped and looked at Yumi. "She just shushed me!"

Yumi glared at the blonde archer. "I think its good advice."

"Not you too, Yumi!" Odd cried. "I thought we were good-"

Suddenly, Odd's mouth closed tightly, almost like it was being zipped shut. Literally. The witch made a horizontal motion with her right hand and Odd's mouth closed. He tried speaking but all he could get out were mumbling that made no sense. He looked at Anne Marie and glared at her. She smirked at him.

"Now stay shut up," she sneered. She pulled back on the reins, stopping Nightshade and the carriage. They were a hundred or so meters away from the tent.

Christopher's fur, as well as Kiwi's for that matter, stood on end as if they were sensing something.

"You have that feeling too?" Christopher whispered, mainly to Anne Marie but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Yes," Anne Marie whispered back.

Besides Aelita, her mentors and Kiwi, no one else seemed to sense the same feeling of uneasiness. Anne Marie threw down the reins and jumped out of the driver's seat. Christopher followed her lead, jumping onto her shoulder. She looked at the group as she grabbed her beloved staff.

"Stay here," she said. "We'll be right back."

"What about him?" Aelita asked, pointing at Odd. Anne Marie sighed and flicked her wrist. Odd let out a big breath and glared at Anne Marie.

"What was that for?" he shouted at the witch. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Shut up Odd!" Yumi shouted.

"Thank you, now stay here." Anne Marie and Christopher walked cautiously up the tent, first around, then inside. It didn't take long for them to come out but the both of them had disappointed expressions on their faces.

"He's not here," Christopher reported.

The group and Kiwi jumped out of the carriage and went up to the tent.

"Are you serious?" Jeremie asked. "We traveled for two nights and he's not here."

"Maybe the Society got him," Aelita said in a small voice.

"Unfortunately for you, you're right."

The group ran around to the other side of the tent and up on the hill was a Black Cloaked member. This one was shorter than the one in the forest. He also had a higher voice, sounding younger than the one encountered before. But like the other he wore the same black coloured cloak and had a sword in his hand, blade pointed downward.

"You all are too late," the high voiced member said. "The Hermit Delmas was just here yesterday. I think he went on a trip."

"Where is he?" Anne Marie asked the Black Cloaked member. Aelita noticed that she didn't have any anger or any harshness in her voice.

The cloaked man folded his arms over his chest. "I am not telling."

Anne Marie and Christopher looked at each other giggled.

"What are those two doing?" Aelita heard Odd ask. "Shouldn't they kick his ass?"

"What? Don't you know where he is?" Christopher pestered.

"I told you, you stupid cat!" The member hissed. "I do know!"

"Then where is he?" Anne Marie pressed, a small smile coming across her face.

"I'm not telling you!"

"I knew, you have no idea where he is," Anne Marie growled, placing her hands on her hips.

_Oh! Now I get it! _Aelita laughed a little at the thought of her mentors literally teasing the poor member until they tell him what they want.

"Seriously! I do know!" The cloaked man insisted. He threw his hands down at his sides like he was a child.

"Oh yeah...then where is he?" Ulrich had joined in on the fun and pressed the question on the member.

"Really! I do know!" The cloaked man cried out.

Ulrich shifted his weight and crossed his arms. "Yeah, right…"

"It's true I do! He's at that prison on the island near that city Kadic!" The cloaked figure gasped and covered his mouth with the hand that wasn't holding the sword.

The group looked at each other and smiled.

"You heard the man," Yumi said with a chuckle. She looked at the cloaked figure, who fell to his knees, crying out at what he should do. "Thank you so very much."

As the group was moving back towards the cart, a different voice boomed.

"Stop right there." The group turned around and Kiwi got into his defensive position. A new figure was standing next to the man who was still cowering on his knees.

"It's you!" Odd knew who it was immediately after he spoke. It was the cloaked member who attacked them at the forest.

"Yes…I knew I'd see you lot again," The forest attacker growled. He looked at Anne Marie. "And you brought the witch this time. Excellent…"

"What do you want?" Anne Marie snarled.

"Now that you know where Delmas is, I have something else to tell you."

"What is it?" Christopher growled. "Spit it out before we attack."

"When you come to the island, bring the Terra Tract." At those words, Anne Marie and Christopher's eyes widened.

"Why do you need that?" Christopher asked, his voice full of ice and anger.

"If you don't, we kill the hermit. It's your choice." With those words, the two members disappeared in a black smoke fog.

The meadow fell to silence after they left, only to be broken when Odd spoke.

"The Terra Tract? What the hell is that?"

"I don't know," Aelita responded. She looked at her mentors who were still in shock at the request. "Masters, do you know what they are?"

"Of course we do," Christopher answered, his voice solemn. His fur was raised, like he was scared or something.

"Then what is it?"Jeremie asked.

As the birds began to chirp again, Anne Marie took a deep breath and explained the books.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: Yep, what good is a witch without her broom. And don't you worry; Jeremie will get some sort of a weapon. And he'll have plenty of chances to win Aelita's heart. ;)**_

_**Anonymous (Your name was a blank, sorry!): Thank you! I don't think I'm that good myself but I try. And yes! Aelita finally used some magic! Cool! I'll give you more info when I post it in a couple of days.**_

_**Traveler: Yeah, I think that is kind of a shocker for some but I don't care! I'll tie up why he is the hermit eventually. Poor Jeremie, indeed…he could have been a blacksmith or something but no, he was a librarian rat. Yes, a broom fan! I think I'll put it in the poll when all of the characters are introduced properly. And thank you for the fight scene compliment. Oh, and Anne Marie says "Never!". Thanks for the review.**_

* * *

_**A/N: Really! I do know! Ha ha…poor Black Cloaked member. But this one was fun to write. Next chapter, we learn about the ancient texts in the Lyoko kingdom. It won't be a long one, but it'll contain valuable information nonetheless. **_

_**Thanks for the read and please review. Stay thirsty, my friends. **_


	19. Four Ancient Tomes

_**A/N: This chapter is presented in Anne Marie P.O.V. For all the cranky, sarcastic witch's point of view, look no further than Anne Marie P.O.V. –Dooms in Company Catchphrase- The audience is now pissed.**_

* * *

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Eighteen: Four Ancient Tomes**_

* * *

_Over twenty years ago, four ancient tomes were stolen from the castle of the Lyoko Empire. The_ Terra Tract_…_King Solomon's Key_…_The Codex of Cthulhu_…And the _Reaper's Tome_._

_The _Terra Tract_...which incarnates a god, using the soul of the Earth and the blood of the Moon and the Sun._

King Solomon's Key_…which contains the seventy-two demons captured and controlled by King Solomon, himself. _

The Codex of Cthulhu_…a book that brings a dark god from a different universe to Earth. _

_Finally, the _Reaper's Tome_…which has the power to bring the dead back to life._

_Within each book are complex rituals that can bring a great change to the world. These books require intense focus and powerful magic and often bring about a terrible change. Since these books can bring about a great change, able to warp the fabric of time and space and existence, the books have been widely sought after. Many great wars had sprung too because of the books. _

_Throughout history, when one would receive any one of these books, terrible things had happened. That has been because the user was selfish, using the book only for their own deeds. But they fall; losing their souls after the ritual is complete…_

_Hundreds of years ago, a wizard was finally able to collect all four and seal them away within the castle. Unfortunately, even that did not help. _

_Now, I am afraid of what the Black Cloaked Society might do if we give them such a powerful book. _

_But do we have a choice? We need to save the hermit…_

* * *

_**A/N: I'll wait to reply next chapter, since this one was so short and I just want to get it out of the way. Sorry!**_

_**But now, time for some fun facts! Though I indeed made up the Terra Tract and the Reaper's Tome, I can shed some light on the Solomon Key and Cthulhu figure. Though not written by Solomon himself, there is a book called the "Lesser Key of Solomon", containing seventy-two demons and rituals how to summon them. Cthulhu is a figure, a cosmic god from H.P. Lovecraft's stories. **_

_**I can assure that the tomes will be pretty central plot items in the story, some more than others. But they all will be mentioned at some point!**_

_**Anyways, thanks for the read and for taking n the sudden update! Oh, and a review would be nice, please. Stay thirsty my friends.**_


	20. Mansion in the Forest

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Nineteen: Mansion in the Forest**_

* * *

"_So now we have to go get that book," Anne Marie sighed."We can't just let him die in vain."_

"_Do you even have a clue where the books are?" Odd asked, eyes narrowing at the witch and her cat._

"_Of course we do! We had all four books in our hands thirteen years ago," Anne Marie began. "We were the ones who hid them so I think we know where they are."_

"_But to be honest, we were in favor of just burning them and just ending the ordeal with them right there," Christopher added in. "But we got yelled at when we tried to."_

"_So where exactly are they?" Aelita asked. _

"_The ruins near our old home when we were apprentices," Christopher said. "The Black Woods Mansion."_

* * *

It took the group two more days to cross the expansive meadow to an area known as "The Black Woods". It took another day to get near the destination through the forest, granted because of Odd's complaining.

"Why can't we just teleport?" Odd complained. "You're a witch!"

"I already told you that it takes too much energy to teleport a cart alone over a vast distance!" Anne Marie snapped back. "Then I'd have to teleport all of you. Do you want me to die from exhaustion?"

Odd didn't answer the question and snapped back his own. "You have Christopher to help you! Can't he help you?"

Christopher laughed nervously. "I tend to teleport people to different destinations."

"Huh?" Odd raised a brow in confusion, gazing at the cat in bewilderment.

Christopher mumbled something before looking forward. "Oh look! There it is!"

Aelita and the rest of the gang woke up when they heard Christopher say that. Almost immediately with still sleepy eyes they looked ahead. Like it was growing as they neared it, Aelita spotted the large house. Or rather, _large_ was an understatement. The house was huge! The walls of the mansion were tall and she could see dozens of stained glass windows on the front side alone. Weird, black crystal arches grew from the house and stuck into the earth. A large gate made of the same material was in front of the entrance to the house, but lined with gems and other shining stones.

"_You_ lived _here_ when you were _kids_?" Jeremie blurted out. He was with the others who were just as shocked to see the house.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Anne Marie asked as she stopped the cart.

"This place is freaking huge!" Jeremie continued. "Why would they even think of leaving children alone?"

"Oh calm down," Anne Marie growled, jumping out of the driver's seat and going to Nightshade. The witch began to undo the harness.

"Yeah…I mean we were twelve years old," Christopher purred. "I think we could protect ourselves. Besides, our mentors come to check on us every day."

Jeremie rolled his eyes but said nothing more.

"Cool place," Ulrich breathed out. "So what do we do first?"

"First, let me get Nightshade out of this harness," Anne Marie answered. "She'll be fine out here while we look for the _Terra Tract_. I'm sure there are no monsters are out here this far."

"Remember how we told you that we hid the book in the ruins?" Christopher asked. The group nodded. "Well, the ruins are not far away from the house. Just a small walk away."

"We have to go through the house to get to the entrance that'll lead us to the ruins," Anne Marie continued. "And since we're not bringing the cart with us, we'll pack what we need and go on from there."

The harness was undone and Nightshade was free. The mare nickered and walked over to Aelita, sticking her nose into the girl's hand. Aelita smiled and rubbed Nightshade's forehead.

"You be a good girl now and don't get into trouble," Aelita said quietly to the horse. Nightshade flicked her ears and moved away from the girl to a nice patch of grass.

As her friends jumped out of the cart to stretch, Aelita stayed behind to help Anne Marie determine what to place into the bag. The green bag made of fabric and woven leaves was mainly used to transport herbs around, a lot more convenient than towing around a large wooden trunk.

"I think that should be enough," Anne Marie said after placing one last jar into the bag. She looked at Aelita. "I want you to carry the bag."

Aelita's eyes widened. "Me? But you're a better healer than me."

"You need practice," Anne Marie stated. "Don't worry, you'll do fine." Then, she handed Aelita the book with combat spells within. "Take this too."

Aelita took the book and swinging the bag over her back. She nodded at her master. "Thanks Lady Anne. I'll try my best!"

"I know you will…" Anne Marie gave the girl a small smile. Then, she turned her head and shouted for Jeremie. The blonde boy reluctantly walked to the cart, a scowl on his face.

"What is it?" He mumbled.

"I got something for you," Anne Marie mumbled as she searched the trunk. After moving books and jars around she found what she needed and pulled it out. It was a wand. The wood looked old and was twisted, giving it an oddly beautiful look. At the top of it was pink crystal-rose quartz-tied to the point with dark coloured rope.

"A wand?" Jeremie asked as Anne Marie handed him the wand. "Why do I need this?"

"It's your weapon," Anne Marie announced. "Congratulations."

"But I don't even know how to use magic!" Jeremie whined.

"You don't have to," Christopher purred suddenly from behind, making Jeremie jump. "It a point-and-zap."

"A point-and-zap?" Jeremie repeated.

"It's easy!" Christopher's tail swished from side to side. "All you have to do is point the crystal top at the target, concentrate and the energy from the crystal will zap the target!"

Jeremie looked at the cat in disbelief. "You're joking?"

"No joke! Easy as that!"

Jeremie looked at the wand and sighed, moving back to the three humans and Kiwi who were still stretching. Christopher looked at Aelita, his blue eyes sparkling before giving her a wink.

"Don' worry," the cat wizard purred. "He likes it."

Aelita chuckled and jumped out of the cart. Anne Marie followed, holding her beloved staff in her right hand and her broom, Esmeralda, in the left. Aelita groaned.

"Master…seriously?"

Anne Marie shrugged. "You never know when you need to use your broom."

Jeremie turned around when heard the word "broom". "Isn't that kind of a cliché?"

Christopher stretched his back. "No…not cliché at all. Every witch has a broom."

"Like he said…" Yumi said with a roll of her eyes. "Cliché."

"Now listen up," Anne Marie spoke loudly. "When we enter the mansion, we're going to split up. Christopher and I will take the right wing. You lot will take the left wing. The entrance to the walkway to the ruins will be in the left wing, but we want to investigate the right wing anyway. There is a switch that we need to press to allow us onto the walkway."

Anne Marie pulled out a bracelet from the sleeve of her dress. It was a dainty looking thing; red ribbon with a red gem attached to the fabric. She handed the bracelet to Aelita. "We will us this to communicate with each other. When you find the door, speak to the stone. It'll be in a large hallway that has dozens of paintings on the walls."

Aelita nodded and attempted to tie the bracelet around her wrist with one hand, but had troubles. She heard Odd grunt and walk over to her, helping her tie the bracelet around her wrist. She blushed slightly when he touched her but it quickly went away when he moved back.

Anne Marie continued speaking. "Be careful because there might-no, there_ will_ be booby traps set up around the place."

"Why is that?" Ulrich asked.

"The place was run by kids," Anne Marie muttered. "What do you expect?"

Ulrich rolled his eyes. Anne Marie sighed. "Any questions?"

No one answered or raised their hands. Anne Marie nodded and walked to the gate. The witch took a deep, relaxing breath. Aelita was ready to watch her mentor perform some serious magic to open the gate. She felt her excitement rise.

Then, the witch took a step back and kicked a fierce kick at the gate. The gate immediately opened flying back after the witch's boot made contact. Aelita felt her anticipation wane, disappointed not to see her master do anything magical. Anne Marie turned around and glared at the group.

"What did you expect?" She growled.

"I don't know, something interesting?" Odd answered.

Anne Marie grumbled something that no one caught and walked forward towards the door. "Come on…Let's get to work."

She opened the door and walked in, the group following after her. The door shut all by itself once the last person entered the mansion.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: Aw, yes…the suspense. It'll only seem to rise from this point on. Well, he did get a weapon but I think it'll be cheating if it made Aelita fall in love with him. Sorry.**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: I should've guessed, sorry. Yea, I felt kind of bad for the poor unnamed member of the BCS. Let's hope his punishment isn't too harsh.**_

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_**A/N: This chapter was pretty fun to make, I think. I loved making the conversation at the beginning about burning the ancient books. So yes! Now the group is at the place where Anne Marie and Christopher were raised. I'm not too creative when it comes to making house names so say hello to the dully named "Black Woods Mansion". And Esmeralda is not even a real person and I'm beginning to like it as a character. That makes no sense at all…**_

_**Always, thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends. **_


	21. Once Upon a Legend

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty: Once Upon a Legend**_

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"I think that witch was lying about the booby traps," Odd grumbled. "We've been walking around for ten minutes and haven't come upon anything! Just more creepy, echoing hallways."

Aelita was beginning to feel that Odd was right. The two groups spilt exactly like her mentors told her they would. They took the left wing and Anne Marie and Christopher took the right. The hallways were wide and tall. Dark pink-purple walls with dark blue crystals glued onto them. Thick black crystal pillars supported the ceiling and separated the stain glass windows. There were no chandeliers or torches lighting the hallways, but brilliant coloured light danced across the tiled floors next to the window, proving adequate light. Dark indigo coloured doors were on the opposite side of the windows. Aelita guessed that either classrooms or bedrooms were behind them doors.

Also, the air in the mansion seemed kind of lonely. As if no one has ventured within the building for years. The only sound that seemed to come through was a weird wind that blew throughout the hallways and the noise of footsteps and paw steps coming from the group's feet. The feeling made Aelita feel sad, in a way. Aelita shivered to herself, hoping that none of her friends saw. She was at the back of the group next to Jeremie, who had noticed her movement.

"Hey…you okay?" Jeremie asked the girl in a quiet voice. Aelita looked at his face and saw concern in his eyes.

She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. "Yes, I am fine. Just kind of nervous. This building is giving me a weird feeling."

"It is?" Jeremie asked, confusion showing on his face.

"Yeah. For some reason, I just have strange feeling about this place. The air is like it's…sad or something. Can't you feel it in the wind?"

Jeremie looked at her in silence. "I don't mean to be rude but I don't hear or feel any wind. Are you sure you don't have a fever or something?"

Aelita wanted yell at him, telling him about how this area seems sad and lonely. But then she remembered that Jeremie did not believe in magic. Even with his encounters so far with the Black Cloaked Society and how she is able to create fire with only concentrating, she felt that he still didn't see the magic within the world.

She clutched her book closely to her. "No…I'm fine."

Kiwi had his nose close to the ground. His eyes glowed with the excitement of exploring this new place. Odd seemed to be dismayed. Clearly not finding a booby trap so far hasn't upset him! Isn't that supposed to be a good thing? Ulrich and Yumi were in conversation but Aelita couldn't hear them for they were speaking in a whisper. But the expressions on their faces, it seemed to be a pretty interesting conversation.

"Hello my little fledglings!" The group jumped at the voice of Christopher's. Aelita knew it must be coming from the bracelet so she lifted up her wrist. "Did you come across the door yet?"

"No," Aelita answered.

Odd ran up to her and shouted into the bracelet. "We've been walking around for fifteen minutes and haven't found anything! Not even a booby trap!"

"KEEP YOUR KNICKERS ON!" Anne Marie shouted back, nearly deafening Odd and Aelita. Thankfully, she quieted down to normal speaking tone when she continued. "Yes, we lied. There are no booby traps in this house. They're outside at the ruins. I know, I've been hoping for you to get skewered too…"

Odd muttered something dark. Yumi and Ulrich chuckled at it so it must've been pretty stupid to Aelita's taste. But the witch continued.

"Anyways, you should be there in a matter of minutes. We'll be at the switch soon. We'd be there earlier if Christopher hadn't decided to peep into our old rooms."

"_I was curious…" _Aelita could hear the feline mentor mumble.

"We'll get there as quick as we can after we get the switch. We'll let you know when we get there."

"Okay. Thank you Anne Marie." The witch did not answer, so Aelita brought her wrist back to her side.

Yumi was still looking at the bracelet. "Cute jewelry. Kind of tacky because of the stone. But it's still cute."

Aelita thanked her and the group continued on. A few minutes past and they round a corner to a straight hallway. But there was an end to this hallway. A deep blue coloured stone door that toughed the floor to the ceiling was at the end. Six different coloured stones were attached onto the door in a zig- zag pattern. The colours, from top to bottom, were pale yellow, green, yellow, red, blue, and purple. Aelita already knew that those colours represented the six elements of light, earth, wind, fire, water and darkness. That was one of the first things that Anne Marie and Christopher taught her. There was also something light blue glowing around the creases of the door. It was a lock. Anne Marie and Christopher still hadn't unlocked it.

Odd and Kiwi ran ahead to the door. "Finally! These must lead to the ruins." He touched the door and smiled. "Thank you, lord…"

"A walk should be good for you," Ulrich muttered. "With as much as you eat, I'm shocked you're not the size of a horse."

"Hey! You're just jealous of my body."

Yumi laughed and Ulrich said nothing more. Aelita was too busy looking at the walls to care about what the rest of the group were saying.

There were no windows or doors, with the exception of the giant one, in this part. But on the walls were elaborate paintings of a man who was wreathed with light and fire and a woman adorning with darkness and mystery. She knew what this was when she placed a hand on it. It was a mural, telling a story. No…a legend.

"Hey, Aelita." She jumped as she felt Odd's warn hand on her shoulder. She looked at him. He asked "Are you okay?"

Aelita nodded. "Of course I am. I was just thinking about this mural."

Odd looked at the wall and scowled. "Looks too complex for me."

"Yeah…what exactly are you getting at?" Yumi asked. The group closed in, looking at her in bewilderment.

"It's a folk tale," Aelita answered, looking back at the painting. "Anne Marie and Christopher would tell me about it all the time when I was a little girl. It never had an official name so they just called it _The Parable of the Sun and the Moon_."

"Sounds interesting," Ulrich said in a quiet voice. "Do you still remember it?"

"Of course I do. It was one of my favorite stories."

"Can you tell us it?" Jeremie asked.

Aelita nodded and the group took a seat on the floor, ready to hear the story. Aelita cleared her throat and looked at the group.

"Alright…once long, long ago when the worlds where just created, there was the Sun God and the Moon Goddess. The two were the best of friends, opposites of the same whole. The Sun was in love with the Moon but the Moon was in love with a star which was not a god at all.

"An Evil Lord, also in love with the Moon and jealous that she did not love him, hatched an evil plan. He killed the Star, leaving the Moon very upset. At the Star's funeral, the Evil Lord gave her a plant. When she went to rest, she placed the plant by her bedside. But as she slept, the plant came alive and wrapped around her. Now she was under the Evil Lord's control.

"He wanted to make her love him and he wanted the Sun to die. The Moon threatened to destroy the innocent Stars and Sun had no choice but to stop her. He had to kill the Moon. The two fought for days and he finally was able to slay her. But when she was dead, a never ending sadness fell upon him and the sun ceased to glow on the Stars, leaving them to die as well.

"The Earth, sad for her friend's grief, told the Sun that he could bring the Moon back to life. _'Bring to me representatives of the four elements and I shall revive the Moon,'_ She said to him. And he did.

"The Sun traveled all over and found a rock for the element of earth, a feather from a Star Bird for the element of wind, water in a gourd from a merchant for the element of water, and he created fire using his own powers for the element of fire. He brought the materials to the Earth and she preformed the ritual to bring the Moon back to life.

"But the ritual was interrupted by the Evil Lord. He challenged the Sun and fought him. As the ritual ended, the Sun slain the Evil Lord, beheading him with a great, fiery sword. Moments after the beheading of the Evil Lord, the Moon woke up. The Sun rushed to her, cradling her in his arms. She smiled at him and the Sun smiled back. The Sun's happiness brought light back to the Stars and the blood of the Evil Lord brought life to the Earth. The Sun and the Moon thanked the Earth and the two were lovers and will be for all eternity."

Through the entire story, the group sat in interest, not bored by the legend at all. When she finished, Aelita let out a huge breath and smiled faintly at the group.

"How was it?" Aelita asked in a small voice.

"That has to be one of the best stories I heard in a long time," Yumi responded, her eyes still wide from the story.

"Yeah…have anymore?" Odd asked.

"I do but-"

"Hello!" Christopher's cheerful voice purred. "We found the switch; we'll be there any second."

"Aw man…and I wanted another story!" Odd complained.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: I'm just keeping you on the edge of your computer chair, that's all. And yes! Yay for a totally not bad, wand weapon!**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: No big deal, just happy that you reviewed now. And they will be fun for the lazy writer, too.**_

_**Traveler: Thanks! Yes, Jeremie finally has a weapon to stand up to those Xana cronies now. And mocking villains is always fun. And congrats on spotting the reference! Someone has good taste in fantasy stories.**_

* * *

_**A/N: Happy twentieth chapter! If you stuck with this so far, thank you very much! If you just joined, thank you as well! As a treat, I uploaded not one, but two artworks for this on my deviantART account. A group shot of the group AND a chibi drawing of Esmeralda if she were human! **_

_**Now, I had the idea of this folklore for a while. The whole Sun and the Moon thing came from a song I was listening to when I was trying to sleep. Don't remember which one, but it was a song. But I hoped you like my phony attempt at sounding like a story teller! Ha ha!**_

_**Anyways, thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends. **_


	22. It's All Fun and Games

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty One: It's All Fun and Games till Someone falls Off the Mushroom**_

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"Can we have another story until those two get here?" Odd nagged. "It's probably going to take them an hour to get back here."

"As much as it pains me to admit, he's right," Yumi grunted. Odd glared back at the thief but didn't taunt her with anything.

"Um…I don't know," Aelita responded, giving the group a timid smile.

"Huh? Why not?" Odd asked.

"Because I don't remember anymore, sorry." Aelita laughed nervously, making her friends look at her weirdly.

"Well, now what do we do till they show up?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh, I think we can go through the door now at any time." Christopher's voice purred, startling the group.

The group looked up and saw Anne Marie and Christopher floating above them. The two were sitting on the broom, hovering above the group. Odd was the first one to stand up, questioning and flailing his arms about as he tried to think of an intellectual question.

"How are you doing that?" Jeremie asked over Odd's babbling.

"A little something you don't believe in, boy," Anne Marie answered with a snide smile. "It's magic."

"Wow…what a fast broom," Yumi responded simply, not even fazed by the levitating broom and it's riders.

"I know! Esmeralda may be small but she is fast," Christopher purred kindly.

"B-but it's a broom!" Odd finally spat out. "Brooms can't do that!"

"Quiet you!" Anne Marie hissed at Odd as the broom lowered to the ground. "You're hurting her feelings."

Odd threw his hands to his side and turned his back on the witch. Kiwi looked up at his owner in concern, whimpering softly at the archer. Anne Marie, with Christopher jumping onto her shoulder, moved off the broom and stood up. The witch smirked at Aelita.

"See…told you it wasn't a bad idea to bring her."

Aelita rolled her eyes at her mentor but gave her a smile. She looked at her feline mentor.

"Are we going to go on now?" Aelita asked.

Christopher nodded. "Certainly! You guys are going to enjoy the next part of the trip to the ruins."

"Huh? There's another part before we get there?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh, believe me. This place is a lot more fun than walking around some dirty old ruins. Well shall we then?"

The group nodded and followed after Anne Marie to the dark door. The witch pushed the heavy looking door and it opened with ease. Sun light flooded into the hallway, nearing blinding the younger members of the gang.

Aelita was shocked to see that there was no more dense forest. In front was a dirt path with trees along the road. It led up a hill, so she couldn't see any further. But the she could see brilliant blue sky and the sun. The smell of fresh flowers lingered in this area.

While Aelita enjoyed the scent, Jeremie sneezed. She looked at him and guessed that he wasn't comfortable with this kind of flower.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Quite fine, actually," Jeremie responded. "Not used to this kind of smell though."

"Come on! Let's go!" Christopher meowed. The cat jumped off of the witch's shoulder and ran ahead. Kiwi, spotting the cat's bushy tail bobbing up and down as he ran, chased after the cat. He wagged his own tail joyfully as he followed the feline.

The humans and witches walked slower than their animal companions, taking in the scenery of the area. Aelita could believe her masters had not brought her there before.

"Hey, Lady Anne," Aelita asked, walking alongside her master. The witch looked at her and nodded. "Why haven't you've ever told me about this place before?"

Anne Marie shrugged. "Never really accord to us, to be honest. Basically when we moved out of here and became part of the witch society, we turned a blind eye to this place. Except for when we had to come here over a decade ago…"

Aelita sighed. Anne Marie saw her apprentice's action and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Of course we would've shown it to you eventually. Because just because the ruins, there is something very important."

Aelita's green eyes brightened up. "Something…important?"

"Yes…but that'll wait till you become a bit more experienced."

"Whoa…check this out you guys!" Yumi shouted suddenly. Aelita hadn't noticed but the rest of the group had already gone over the hill.

"Come on…you'll get a kick out of this," Anne Marie said with a chuckle.

The two picked up the pace and caught up with the group. Aelita could not believe her eyes of what she saw after the incline.

The group was standing near a cliff; the path had broken off and disappeared, giving way to a gorge. But filled in the gorge was not darkness or a seemingly endless hole. But mushrooms. Large, colourful mushrooms that were hundreds of times there original size. The trees were larger with trunks so big around Aelita thought that would be impossible. The leaves were huge, proving the shade necessary for the mushrooms to grow. Light shown through the cracks, providing colourful lights that danced on the mushrooms spongy surface.

Aelita felt a smile of surprise come onto her face.

"I-is this even possible?" She asked aloud.

"And I thought I'd only see stuff like this in storybooks…" Jeremie mumbled. Clearly, the boy who never believed in magic was shocked by the gorge filled with giant mushrooms.

"You haven't even seen the best part yet," Christopher said mischievously. With a yowl, the cat took off, launching himself off the cliff. Aelita and the group cried out for Christopher's reckless action, throwing hands out to try to catch him. The only one who remained calm was Anne Marie.

"What the hell is he doing?" Ulrich shouted. "He's probably got himself killed."

Suddenly, the dark figure of the cat was in view. He came up and then down out of view. Up again and then out of view again. Aelita had to move but she noticed that the cat was actually jumping off the spongy surface of the mushroom.

"Aw! I haven't done this in years!" Christopher shouted cheerfully. He did a flip before disappearing and came up moments later. "Well, aren't you going to try this?"

"Hold on!" Anne Marie hissed. The witch placed Esmeralda into the air vertically. The broom stayed still, levitating above the ground. "Esmeralda, dear, why don't you fly to the other side and wait for us there."

The broom obeyed and took off, rider less, across the gorge. Anne Marie lifted up the front of her dress and jumped off the cliff, onto the mushroom below. Christopher had moved to the mushroom ahead, giving the witch room. Anne Marie's body appeared once and went down, repeating the motion for several moments before moving to the next mushroom.

"You expect us to cross _this_?" Jeremie asked.

"It's not as hard as it looks," Christopher shouted. "It's actually pretty fun. But there are a few rules."

"Rules?" Odd repeated. "It just looks like you bounce up and down till you get to the other side of the gap."

"Of course there are rules," Anne Marie said, still holding onto to her dress to keep it from flying up. One is that if you fall off the mushroom and down one of the holes, you basically are dead because it's a nearly endless drop and we'll be never able to help you. "

"How do you know this?" Ulrich asked.

"Well…we've thrown rocks and trespassers down the black holes to see how far it really goes," Christopher answered. The gang gave the two stunned, shocked stares, mouths agape. "Uh…Anne Marie, continue with the rules!"

"Okay. Another one is to not get another part of your mouth onto the mushroom."

"One lick, bite or whatever and you will be hallucinating for hours," Christopher added. "And we don't know a cure for that!"

"Exactly. So don't even try it." Anne Marie was talking to the group, but Aelita knew that she was talking to Odd. In response, the blonde archer glared at her. "Oh and one more thing. Ladies, make sure you hold onto the front of your skirt. You don't want those perverts to look at your knickers or anything."

"We are not perverts!" Odd retorted.

"Yeah, yeah…now come on!" Anne Marie shouted as she jumped to the next mushroom.

"We don't have all day light!" Christopher shouted back.

Yumi looked at the group and smirked. "Well, you heard them."

Though she was wearing pants under her skirt, Yumi grabbed the fabric and jumped off the cliff. Aelita heard her laugh as she bounded off to the next mushroom. "This is actually pretty fun!"

Aelita looked at the three guys and dog. "Okay, who's next?"

"I'll go," Odd said with a smile on his face. He took a running start and jumped off the cliff, shouting "GERANIMO!"

He landed safely onto the mushroom and bounded off after the three.

"I guess I'll go next," Ulrich muttered. He just walked to the edge and jumped down onto the mushroom below. He jumped to the next mushroom. Aelita watched as he got further away from the cliff.

Then, Kiwi went without even a bark. The wolf jumped and landed on the mushroom below. The wolf was quick with his strides and jumps, Aelita guessed that he wanted to catch up with his master.

Aelita looked over at Jeremie. "Do you want to go next?"

Jeremie shook his head and smiled at her. "No, you can go before me."

Aelita noticed a nervous look in his eyes but didn't want to say anything of it. She didn't know how he might react with her saying that. She just simply nodded, grabbed her skirt with her free hand and jumped off the edge and onto the mushroom below.

She was shocked with how squishy and jumpable the surface was. She giggled as she went up into the air. She felt just like a child again. She jumped to the next mushroom, then to the next. She heard someone yell "ALLONS-Y!" from behind and she looked. It was Jeremie, trying to get his jumping straight. She laughed and shouted back at him.

"Come on library boy!" She shouted playfully. "Try and catch me!"

"Just so you know witch girl," He shouted back. "I can't get myself balanced on this thing."

"Just jump!" Aelita laughed and jumped on.

She was nearing the end; she could see the other side of the gorge. Her mentors were already there, as well as Yumi and Odd. Ulrich was just getting there. Aelita decided to pick up the pace and in no time, she made it to the other cliff. With one last jump, she was onto the cliff but nearly stumbled backwards when she landed. Someone's hand grabbed her own when she almost fell; she looked and saw it was Odd's. A small blush came onto her face when he smiled at her.

"We don't need you falling back on do we?" He said to her. He caught her blush and began to blush too.

"Ahem!" Aelita looked at Anne Marie's stern expression. She knew exactly what the witch was thinking and she let go of Odd's hand.

"Um…thank you," Aelita said in a small voice to Odd with a tiny, innocent smile on her face.

"No problem," Odd said back to her.

Then Jeremie came next. Since Aelita was still on the edge, the blonde young man ran into her, knocking her and himself over.

"Oh my-are you okay?" Jeremie asked in a quick voice. Aelita looked at him and smiled. She saw a small blush appear on his face but deepened as she looked at him.

"I'm fine…" She answered. Jeremie nodded and rolled off of her. Aelita sat up and her attention caught Kiwi. The wolf had a weird expression on his face, his eyes were wide and he was panting very hard. She looked up at Odd. "Um…what's wrong with your dog?"

Odd looked over at his dog and cocked his head to the side. "I don't know."

Christopher trotted over to Kiwi and sniffed him. "Yep…he must've licked the mushroom."

"What?" Odd cried while Yumi and Ulrich broke out into laughter. Odd ran over to his dog and pat the wolf on the head. "Kiwi…listen to me."

"It's no use," Christopher said. "He's probably in la-la-land already. He'll be out of it in a matter of hours."

Odd began to grumble, too quiet for Aelita to hear. Anne Marie's voice sounded over his though.

"Come on…let's go to the ruins. We just follow a deer path and we're there."

Anne Marie walked towards some bushes and found the path. The witch disappeared into the bushes. The group followed after her. Aelita couldn't help but feel an evil presence as she stepped onto the path.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: Thank you! And don't worry. Odd will find his booby traps. Oh and I hope you enjoyed the Jeremie/Aelita moment in the chapter.**_

_**Traveler: Thank you! Jeremie doesn't feel the magic Aelita can because, in one of the earlier chapters, he plain out stated that he didn't believe in magic. Of course, Aelita, who is a witch's apprentice, does. And you'd think that there would be traps around, but like Anne Marie said, she lied. One might be able to summon a light god from a different universe but most of the people who have held the **_**Codex **_**wanted to use it for evil purposes. Anne and Chris just choose to stay away from the books, though they wanted want to burn them just to end it there. And I like that saying you put at the end…suits the Sun really well. Thank you for the long review! It was a joy to read.**_

_**Comacazy Freak: An Ulrich/Aelita relationship? Well…they'll be friends but I don't know about an actual relationship. I'm going to stick with Yumi for him since Aelita already has two people fighting for her attention. Sorry…**_

* * *

_**A/N: Ah yes…a fun place before a creepy place. But a gorge filled with squishy trampoline mushrooms? How could I not refuse? And yes, Kiwi will be hallucinating in the next chapter as they explore the ruins, which will be fun to write.**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	23. The Ruins Below

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty Two: The Ruins Below**_

* * *

"Well, there it is," Anne Marie announced, reaching the end of the path. "The R'lyeh Ruins…"

Aelita had to move around and stand on the tips of her feet the taller members of the gang but she could definitely see something. A large mountain stood ahead of the group but the path was blocked by a massive crag in the earth. Aelita noticed that the path seemed to continue up into the mountain. She also spotted a shrine next to the path's beginning, noticing the six elemental colours represented as candles. The candles were unlit.

Kiwi ran past the group, nearly knocking the apprentice witch over. The wolf, thankfully, stopped before he could fall down the crag, reared onto his hind paws and began swatting at an imaginary butterfly. Aelita couldn't help but giggle at the wolf.

"What's that mountain?" Ulrich asked. Aelita could hint out a nervous tone in the usually brave swordsman's voice. "Do we have to climb it to the ruins?"

"Aw…that mountain brings back so many memories," Christopher purred. "It never really had a true name. We just called it God's Mountain. And no, the ruins are not up there."

Ulrich let out a breath of relief. Jeremie brought up another question. "Why do you call it that?"

"Because, on the mountain, there are six altars, dedicated to the gods of the elements," Anne Marie answered. "Near the base is the altar for the Earth Goddess, Gaia. Up the path near a never ending spring of neverending lava is the altar for the Fire God, Phoenix. Further up is a mountain spring. That is the altar place for Morgan, the Water Goddess. At place where the wind blows fiercely is the home and altar to the Wind God, Zephyr. Finally, at the summit, is a shared altar to the Sun God and the Moon Goddess. They are named Sol and Luna, respectively."

"One only travels up that mountain when they want to make a soul pact with one of the gods," Christopher continued on. His voice got quiet and serious. "But only a few who do that come back down alive…"

Aelita gulped as she looked up the mountain. She could only imagine the power radiating off of the holy area. Then, Christopher spoke again in his usual cheerful voice, snapping Aelita out of her thinking.

"At least we don't have to go up there."

"So, if the ruins are not up there, then where are they?" Yumi asked, folding her arms.

"Oh! It's in that crag," Christopher answered, pointing his tail at the crack in the earth.

"You're joking?" Odd growled. "You mean we have to go underground?"

"Yes!"

"You stupid cat!" Odd shouted. "How the hell are we going to get down there? I know I'm not jumping all the way down that thing!"

Anne Marie walked up to the archer from behind and slapped the back of his head. "Calm down. There's a rope ladder up ahead. We climb that down and we are in the entrance of the ruins."

"What was that for you witch?" Odd snapped back at her. This time, the witch slapped him over the head with her staff. "That freaking hurts!"

"Then be quiet," the witch hissed back. "Anyways, I'll bring the wolf down with Esmeralda. Granted, he'll stay on the entire time and not jump at an invisible floating cat."

"Then I'll ride down with him," Christopher suggested. "I mean, I am also an animal and it'd be hard for me to climb."

"Can't you turn into a human?" Jeremie asked.

The cat gave what seemed to be a shrug. "What can I say…I like walking around without being constricted by clothing."

Yumi had a look of disgust on her face. "Seriously…I don't even know what you may look like and I don't want that image in my head."

Christopher laughed and, as the floating broom appeared from out of the bushes, jumped on. Odd sighed and picked up his wolf, who was now biting at the air. Aelita noticed how glazed, wide and relaxed the normally cool headed Kiwi was. It was definitely odd to see him in this state.

Odd placed the wolf onto the broom. Surprisingly, Kiwi just lay on the wood with his tongue hanging out, a dopey looking expression. Christopher looked at the group with his blue eyes and nodded.

"We'll see you down," Christopher said with a wave of his tail. Then, the cat directed his attention to the broom. "Let's go Esmeralda. Down we go!"

The broom quickly took off down into the crag and into the darkness. Aelita could hear Kiwi making a weird, gleeful howling noise and Christopher shouting "GERANIMO!"

"Honestly, what's with you guys and shouting weird things when you jump?" Ulrich asked. Aelita looked over at the swordsman and noticed how pale and tense he was when he was looking down the crag. Was he afraid to climb down? It seemed that Yumi had noticed his body language as well, placing a comforting hand on the brown headed young man's shoulder.

Anne Marie was already going towards the rope ladder. She glanced at Aelita. "I'll teleport any weapons or other loose things down to the bottom."

Odd reluctantly handed his precious bow to the witch, and Aelita handed her spell book to her mentor. Anne Marie clutched the two items and her own staff closely. She whispered something and suddenly, the three materials vanished.

"There, now that that is taken care of," Anne Marie said, brushing off her hands. "Let's climb!"

"Wait!" Jeremie held up his hands. "Those things just disappeared! How did you-"

Aelita placed a finger on his mouth and smiled. "Hush…its magic."

Jeremie looked at her in disbelief. He still could not believe in magic after all of the events he has seen so far on this journey? Aelita took her finger away when she saw her master's head dip below the cliff.

Odd shrugged and walked to the cliff. "I'll go next. Maybe if I fall, I'll take her down with me."

"I heard that, pervert," Anne Marie shouted back up.

"Damn her…" Odd growled as he began to descend the rope ladder.

"I'll go next," Jeremie said. The blonde haired young man went over to the edge and began to climb down.

When he was gone, Aelita looked at Ulrich and Yumi. Ulrich seemed to be getting paler by the second.

"Are you feeling alright?" Aelita asked, concern filling her green eyes.

Ulrich gulped and looked down at the ground. "Yeah…just not really into climbing."

"It'll be fine," Yumi said in a quiet, comforting voice. "You'll do fine. I'll go right before you and if you fall I'll catch you."

"Really?" Ulrich looked at her, his eyes beginning to brighten.

"Yeah. Besides, I don't want the loser who arrested me to be chicken to go into some ruins."

"Gee…thanks," Ulrich mumbled as the former thief made her way towards the ladder.

Once the two went away, Aelita knew that it was her turn to go. She walked towards the cliff and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand. A disembodied whisper seemed to sound through the trees as the wind blew. The dark voice whispered her name. Aelita's eyes widened and looked around. But she was the only one there. She looked down into the crevice and could feel a dark energy coming from within the earth.

She gulped and made her way down the ladder, trying to ignore the presence. However, as she got deeper, the presence seemed to get stronger. When she looked down and saw a bright blue light. _That must be where the entrance is_, she thought to herself. She began to climb down faster and soon enough, she made it to the ground.

The rest of the group was already there. Kiwi was lying on his back with his mouth open. His front paws were moving in a back-forth action, as if he were swimming. Aelita looked at the stone tile-like ground and looked up at the entrance to the actual ruins. Two giant slabs stood next to an open gap. On the slabs were rune-like markings and human like characters wielding shields and staves. The markings gave off a light blue glow. Now that Aelita stood on the ground and near some light, see could hardly feel an evil presence, but the air faintly still held it.

"There it is," Christopher said, still sitting on the broom. "Entrance to the R'lyeh Ruins…"

Aelita looked at Lady Anne. The witch had a tight look on her face, her green eyes calculating. What was her mentor thinking?

Christopher continued. "We're going to have to split up to look for the entrance to the room the _Terra Tract_ isin_._ But when someone finds the room, Esmeralda will go and bring the group who didn't find it to the group that did."

Anne Marie handed Jeremie a map. "Here…I found this up in the house. You'll need it more than we do."

"Wait, have you ever even been in here before?" Jeremie asked.

"A couple times," Christopher answered. "When we were kids, we'd used to play in here. It was fun playing hide-and-seek here! But we have never been into the deeper parts of the ruins except for the time when we hid the book."

"But won't you need it as well?" Ulrich asked.

Anne Marie smirked and Aelita noticed a flash in the feline's eyes. "Don't worry…we have an almost unnatural sense of direction. We'll find a way."

"Yeah…or get yourself unbelievably lost," Odd muttered.

"Come on," Aelita said. "Let's get going because I don't like the look of this place."

The group agreed and entered through the gap, walking down stairs aided by the blue glow. Unbeknownst to them, monsters with one evil mark had inhabited the ruins. And they were ready for something to play with…

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: I just love to yank your chain! Ha ha, just kidding. Nope! No Odd/Aelita fluff this time. So I let you off…this time.**_

_**Comacazy Freak: Sorry…and thank you! And yes, Sissi, William and some other people will be making an appearance later on in this story. Samantha, I don't really know yet. She wasn't one of my favorite characters. But if people demand her to make an appearance, I'll consider it. Oh yes…there shall be monsters and booby traps! Xana will also make his lovely appearance soon, as well too. **_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Mushy, giant friend! Imaginaries butterflies in his eyes and swimming on his back. Yep, a usually smart dog's fantasies if he ingested a hallucinogen. Good on ya for spotting the DW reference and I fixed it as soon as I read your comment. Which I thank you for! Thank you, my friend.**_

_**Traveler: I should really put in someone named "Alonso" so I can say "Allons-y Alonso!" And yes, Esmeralda is amazing for being only a broom. And more ruins will be in the next chapter! I'm glad you like the Jeremie/Aelita fluff and I'm sure that that'll be more in the future. But with that, there is also Odd/Aelita fluff as well (And Ulrich/Yumi. And Christopher/Anne. And William/Yumi. And so on…). It's almost as if I can't decide on a particular pairing….eh, just adds to the suspense, I guess. Hm…I don't know if Anne Marie and Chris would approve of the two holding the Codex. You know how angry they can get if their student doesn't listen…But it would be useful!**_

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_**A/N: Yep, inside the ruins. Fun fact for the chapter, "R'lyeh" is a city in one of H.P. Lovecraft's stories about Cthulhu. I thought it would be a good "mystical" name for ruins that held ancient, evil books filled with booby traps. End of fun fact and onto to something else.**_

_**I know she's probably getting sick of this but thank you A-QueenOfFairys for colouring the group shot of the gang! I command you all to go see it on DeviantART. Also take a look at her gallery! It is AMAZING!**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	24. Crisis

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty Three: Crisis**_

* * *

"I swear…we've past that same drawing of that guy holding a goat's head," Yumi said, staring at the wall. "Are we going in the right direction?"

"That what it says on the map," Jeremie answered. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "It's kind of hard to read in this light."

"At least we have light," Aelita muttered. "Even if it is a dim, blue light glued to a wall." The apprentice moved to the wall and touched the glowing crystal. The surface of the gem was hot and Aelita took her hand back after touching it. She looked over at Odd. The blonde archer was standing over his dog who just decided that this would be the perfect time to take a nap.

Odd caught her stare and looked up at her. "Yeah…he just fell asleep."

Aelita giggled. "Maybe he's trying to sleep off the mushroom's poison."

"Well, whatever he's doing, he better finish soon," Jeremie grumbled as he continued to look at the map. "I think we should turn at the next right."

"You think?" Ulrich repeated, raising a brow.

"Okay, to be perfectly honest I'm just guessing now," Jeremie answered.

"Hey! Works for me!" Odd said cheerfully. "Besides, if we get lost, I'm sure that psycho witch and that even crazier cat will come and find our dead bodies."

The group laughed at Odd's cheerfulness, even though no one knew if he were being sarcastic or serious. A good laugh was always needed on a trip.

Suddenly, a skittering noise came from behind. The group stopped laughing and looked behind, faces solemn and weapons ready. The skittering had stopped.

"W-what was that?" Jeremie asked in a quiet voice as he fumbled for the wand.

"I don't know," Aelita responded, opening her book to a page on earth spells.

"Hmph…then I guess we'll just some more fun playing with them," Odd said with a grin as he pulled an arrow back.

"It'd be easier if they just came out of the dark already," Yumi growled.

The group stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Aelita felt the hairs on her arms stand and began to tremble a little. Then, the skittering noise came again. A pale white head poked out of the darkness, the ominous Eye of Xana in the middle. Its body was stubby, green lines on the stomach area. Four long, spider-like legs came into view as it crept out of the darkness. Aelita's eyes widened in fear for she had never seen this kind of monster up on the surface. The monster let out a low growl as it came to a stop.

"What is that thing?" Ulrich asked in a hushed voice. "I've never seen the thing in the forest."

"Who cares?" Jeremie shouted nervously. "Just take it out!"

"With pleasure!" Odd released the arrow and the shot went singing through the air. The arrow hit its mark, the Eye on the skull. The monster let out a screech of pain and dropped its head. "Bulls eye!"

The group waited for the monster to fall but it did not. Unlike what would happen with the monsters that were encountered in meadow, this monster was still standing. Blood dripped slowly out of the wound as it raised its head back up. Its growl deepened. It rose up on its two hind legs and aimed the front ones at the group. Red light orbs shot out at the group from the tips of the legs.

Aelita felt someone's arms wrap around her and she was pushed over, just as the orbs flew over her head. She looked and saw that it was Odd who pushed her out of the way.

He looked at her and grinned. "Saved your life."

"Thanks," Aelita said to the archer with a smile.

She looked up and saw the former thief throw an open fan at the monster. Like the arrow, the fan hit its mark. But this time, the monster fell. It spasm and twitched for moment, then ultimately laid still. Odd took Aelita's hand and pulled her up.

"Come on!" Yumi shouted as she caught her fan. "We need to go!"

"More are coming!" Ulrich added urgently. "Let's go!"

"What about the map?" Jeremie asked.

"Screw the map!" Odd shouted, slapping the map out of the blonde scholar boy's hand. He moved to his dog and began shaking the wolf to wake up. "We need to move or we'll be goners!"

Jeremie didn't say anything else. Kiwi surprisingly woke up and looked as if he was finally back to his sane self. The group began to run down the stone corridors. The skittering followed after them. Occasionally, Odd or Yumi would look back shooting arrows or throwing a fan back at the perusing monsters. But more movements could be heard following them.

Aelita looked over at Jeremie. He looked so unraveled at the sight of the monsters, was he this uncomfortable out here?

"Hey, use the wand," Aelita said in between pants to Jeremie. "It'll help and save Odd a lot of arrows."

"I would but I have no idea how to use it!" Jeremie shouted. "I tried but I couldn't do it."

Aelita let out a sigh and took the wand from out of his hand. She stopped running and looked at the monsters. When she stopped, so did the rest of the group.

"What are you doing?" Ulrich shouted. "We need to run!"

Aelita didn't answer and glared at the monster's who could be seen clearly now in the blue light. Suddenly, a bright pink light shot out of the crystal and hit the pursuing monsters. The monsters let out a single, painful scream and vaporized in mid air. When the light vanished, so did the skittering and growling noises. Aelita released a breath and turned to look at her friends. Each one of them, including Kiwi, had stunned looks on their faces. Aelita smiled innocently at them and handed the wand back to Jeremie.

"That's how you use that."

"Uh…thank you?" Jeremie responded, not sure completely sure on what just happened.

"Hey, everything okay with you lot?" Anne Marie's voice sounded over the enchanted bracelet. Aelita lifted her wrist to her mouth to respond.

"Yes, everything is fine, Master," Aelita answered. "Just had an encounter with a spider-monster-thing."

Anne Marie let out a relieved sigh. "Oh thank the gods…just be careful because there are sure to be more."

"Have you seen anything?" Yumi asked.

"Yes we have." It was Christopher who answered this time. "Ugly buggers, they were. Anyways, we'll let you get back to looking. Be careful with the booby traps!"

"And you guys be careful too," Aelita said before lowering her arm.

"Well now what do we do?" Ulrich asked. "We don't have a map anymore…"

"I don't think we've been to this part yet," Yumi said. "I haven't seen the horse fighting a cat cave marking yet."

"Alright then," Jeremie said, running a hand through his hair. "Let's keep moving."

"Awroo!" Kiwi added in, wagging his tail slightly.

The group walked down the passage, following the crystals still. After a few strides, Yumi, who was at the lead of the path, stopped walking.

"Hey! Why'd we stop?" Odd whined.

"Look…" Yumi pointed at some holes in the walls, made on both sides. They were placed where one's head and body might be. "It's a trap…"

"How is it?" Ulrich asked her. "It's just a couple of holes in the wall."

"That's what you think."

Yumi went to Odd and took an arrow out of his quiver. Over Odd's complaining, Yumi threw the arrow down the hall. Odd stopped his whining when he saw the arrows flying out of the holes. If one would have walked through there, they could saw farewell to their head and life.

Yumi looked at Ulrich and smirked. "See?"

Ulrich rolled his eyes at the former thief. "Okay then. Now what do we do?"

"We can crawl," she suggested. She pointed at the ground. "See how there is no arrow holes?"

"Aw…I get it!" Aelita said.

"It's worth a try," Jeremie shrugged.

The group agreed and began crawling on the floor. Even Kiwi got in on it and crawled after his human companions, keeping his bushy tail from sticking up in the air. It was several meters before there were no arrow holes. When they were safely past that, the group stood up. But when they did, Aelita heard a sharp _twang_, the sound of a thick thread breaking. She looked down and saw a thick strand of once invisible wire lying on the ground.

The entire group looked down at it and looked back up each other with wide eyes.

"Uh-oh…" Odd muttered.

Aelita heard a loud falling noise and then felt the ground shake. She looked back the way they came and the ground began to tremor even more.

"What is it now?" Jeremie asked.

"We need to go now!" Aelita shouted.

"Why?" Ulrich shouted back.

Then, a giant rolling bolder came in view.

"That's why!" Yumi exclaimed. "Now run!"

The group didn't think twice before they started to run. Aelita didn't want to look back. All she wanted to do was run.

"Can't you use your magic to stop it?" Jeremie asked.

"I don't know any spell that could!" Aelita fretted.

"But you're a witch!"

"Yeah! An _apprentice_!"

"Call that crazy cat and that hag!" Odd shouted.

* * *

"Isn't this peaceful…" Christopher reminisced. The feline wizard was in his black panther form, sniffing at the ground. He lifted his head to look at his partner and purred. "Just like old times."

"Yeah…" Anne Marie said with a dreamy sigh. "Except the fact that we're not twelve anymore."

"I know that!" Christopher said. "Sigh…those were the days."

Suddenly, Aelita's terrified, panting voice filled the air.

"Masters! HELP!"

Christopher's dark coloured fur rose, his blue eyes wide with terror. "Aelita! She and the other are in trouble."

"Like I didn't know that!" Anne Marie sat down on Esmeralda. Christopher turned back to his normal, small cat form and jumped onto the broom.

"Let's go!" The two riders and the broom dashed off into the darkness.

* * *

"Oh god, we're going to be crushed to death!" Jeremie cried out.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Yumi shouted back. "We are not going to die."

"Yeah!" Odd shouted. "Only if we have a miracle!"

Aelita closed her eyes and prayed to whatever god was listening. She opened her eyes and noticed something. A two way at the end of the corridor.

"Oh dammit! Which way?" Odd asked.

"Pick right!" Yumi shouted.

"No! Left!" Ulrich shouted.

_Go left…_An almost ethereal voice echoed in Aelita's head.

'_What?_' Aelita asked the voice.

_Trust my voice and go left._

"Left! Go left!" Aelita shouted, trusting the voice.

It was the last chance and the group listened to her suggestion, jumping to the left. Thankfully, the boulder did not follow and veered off to the right. The six lay on the ground, panting and wide eyed.

"Thank the freaking lord!" Odd shouted in an out of breath tone.

"No kidding," Yumi said with a sigh.

Aelita looked at Jeremie and thought the faint of heart scholar was going to faint. Then, Aelita took to her healer duties and asked if any were injured. She was thankful that no one was.

"Hey…look." Aelita looked at Ulrich and saw the chocolate haired swordsman was pointing down the corridor they were in. At the end was a door. Aelita guessed that it was the door to the room of the Sacred Tomes.

"We almost died and we finally find it! What dumb luck!" Yumi said with a chuckle.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Comacazy Freak: Nope! Christopher is just Aelita's cheerful mentor in the form of a cat. But next chapter, we may get to see Chris' real human form. I'm sorry to say but I probably wouldn't get to do a fan fiction like that because I'm actually an Ulrich/Yumi shipper and an indecisive Odd/Aelita and Jeremie/Aelita shipper. I'm really, really sorry. But I'm glad you are enjoying the story. It surely is an interesting story to write.**_

_**Traveler: My lips are sealed. And I just noticed the mistake and I have fixed it! Aelita and Jeremie with a soul pacts? Hm…that would be interesting but you'll see what I have planned with the gods eventually. And, naturally, there will be evil in a place with a collection of sacred tomes. And I guess the group was too flustered to remember to bring the lantern. At least there are glowing crystals underground! And I'm just pulling all of the shipper's legs. Muha…I'm an evil teaser…And the Codex summons just simply "A God from a different universe". It could be light, dark, good, evil, or even a platypus with three eyes if it wants to be. It just deepens on what materials are being used and what the intentions are, though most are evil. And I don't think fezzes were around back in the medieval ages but it would be humorous to see Aelita's reaction. Thanks for the long comment and the grammar point out!**_

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_**A/N: Tarantulas and evil boulders in this one folks! Next chapter, we get to see Christopher's real appearance. Why? Well, you'll just have to find out. Also, I've been thinking of character themes for the characters as I write this. How would they go? Well, I'll tell you eventually because I don't have all the character's songs chosen yet.**_

_**And a quote for the day: "This town is full of monsters! How could you sit there and eat PIZZA?" ~James Sunderland, Silent Hill 2**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	25. Breaking the Seal

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty Four: Breaking the Seal**_

* * *

The group waited in front of the light blue glowing door. Kiwi slept on the ground in front of the door, using his bushy tail as a pillow. Ulrich was also asleep, resting his back on the wall. Yumi was next to him, staring blankly at the wall in front of her as if she too was about ready to sleep. Odd was sitting on the ground next to his dog, examining his arrows and fixing broken ones. Jeremie was sitting against the wall opposite to Yumi and Ulrich, trying not to fall asleep. Aelita was sitting next to him, reading her book on spells, learning about earth spells.

"Anything interesting in that book?" Odd asked. Aelita looked up at him and saw him looking at her.

"Uh…kind of," Aelita answered. "Well, for me anyways. I'm reading about earth spells right now."

"Earth spells? Isn't it just easier to throw a rock at someone?"

Aelita chuckled. "No. From how the book is explained, you can summon vines from the ground and bind enemies with said vines. You can also do the standard rock projectile attacks as well."

"Interesting," Odd said with a sigh. He placed a hand on his dog and smiled. "I'll stick to my archer abilities and using my handsome looks."

"Okay…good luck with that," Aelita giggled. Odd gave her a mock glare.

"What's that supposed to mean? I can throw an arrow at you, you know?"

"Yes, and I can try to lit you on fire again." The two began to laugh, making Kiwi wake up. The wolf perked his ears and wagged the tip of his tail.

"Sorry it took us so long," Anne Marie's voice suddenly spoke up as they rounded the corner. "We got lost looking for your scent. It was mingled with monster stench."

"You guys did quite a number to the hallways from the looks of it," Christopher said. "Someone had a fit out there?"

"No…just cranky monsters who wanted their asses kicked," Odd responded. "How are you guys? You're not dead, so that's good."

"Thank you for your concern, blonde archer boy," Anne Marie muttered. "But I think we could've handled ourselves."

"And thanks for waiting for us," Christopher added in. The dark cat trotted to the door and sniffed it. "Aw…this brings back so many memories!"

"He's been saying that the entire time we were down here…" Anne Marie said with a sigh. "Wake up your friends and let's get that book."

Aelita nodded and went to Jeremie while Odd shouted at Ulrich and Yumi to wake up. She heard the two shout back at the archer but didn't catch what they were saying. Aelita placed a hand on Jeremie's shoulder and shook him gently. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"What's going on?" he asked in a drowsy voice.

"Time to wake up, sleepy head," Aelita said quietly. "Lady Anne and Christopher are here."

"That's nice," Jeremie said with a smile.

Aelita helped the blonde young man up before looking back at her mentors. The two were in front of the door, examining it. Aelita noticed Anne's eyes narrowing.

"Someone placed a seal on this while we were gone," the witch growled.

"What?" Aelita's eyes widened.

"Someone must've taken a trip here in the past thirteen years," Anne Marie continued. "Now we can only hope they didn't take the books."

"Can you break the seal?" Ulrich asked.

"Of course we can," Christopher answered. "But it'll take a lot of magic. There is a heavy duty seal placed on this door and it won't be easy to break."

"You know what that means, Christopher," Anne Marie said with a smirk.

The cat dipped his head and let out a sigh. "I really don't want to do this…"

"Do what?" Jeremie asked. "What is he doing?"

Christopher's blue eyes gleamed as he looked out at the younger members, and dog, of the group. "I now saw that this is not for the faint of heart."

And with those words, Christopher's feline body began to glow brightly. The air felt hotter, as if she was outside on a hot summer day. Aelita remembered this feeling and knew what her mentor was about to do. Kiwi began to jump around and bark at the light as it grew. Aelita wanted to warn her friends at what was going to happen, but she was curious to see how they would react with this.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the warmness and the light disappeared. And now where the cat once stood, was a tall man who looked about Anne Marie's age. His dark coloured, past-shoulder length hair shone in the dim light and he opened his blue eyes to look at the group. He smiled at the younger members. Aelita looked at her friends and saw the shocked looks on their faces.

Yes…this was her mentor, Christopher, in his human form.

In this form, his voice was more mature but maintain it musical tone. "What is wrong with you? Haven't any of you seen me like this before?"

"No…it's just that-"Yumi began to say.

"You're naked!" Odd finished.

It was true. The only thing that he had on was the sun pendant he'd wear in his panther form. Christopher looked down and laughed.

"Of course I am! Cats don't wear clothing, you know. And I kind of like the freedom of not be constricted by fabrics!"

Anne Marie walked to Aelita and undid the bag that the girl had on her back. In no time, the witch pulled out some clothing and threw it at the newly human wizard.

"Put these on, you bloke," Anne Marie said. "People don't want to see you in your glory."

"Maybe I do…" Christopher pouted as he pulled on his pants.

When the wizard finished with that, he looked Anne Marie. "Did you bring my weapon?"

Anne Marie slapped her forehead. "You know how to summon your weapon out of space. Do it."

Aelita watched as Christopher's beloved rapier, Alraune, appeared in his hand. He gazed at the steel and sighed.

"It's been forever since I last held you, my beauty," he whispered to the weapon.

"Is it just me or is he even more melodramatic in human state?" Yumi asked.

"I think he is…" Ulrich answered.

"Anyways!" Christopher raised his blade high into the air and grinned. "Let's break this seal. Aelita, you pay close attention to this now."

Aelita nodded and watched as her mentors stood in front of the door. She listened as Lady Anne began to chant something in ancient tongue. Christopher bowed his head. When Anne Marie finished, the door stopped glowing for a brief moment. In that moment, Christopher looked up and stabbed his blade into the door. The door began to glow a deep red, symbols and markings that Aelita has never seen before appeared on the door. Then, the markings shattered like glass, falling to the ground and disappearing.

Christopher pulled his sword back and placed it into a stealth connected on his belt. He brushed a hand through his hair and smiled, looking back at the group.

"There, the door is open now," Christopher announced.

"That was actually pretty cool," Odd admitted. "Will there be any monsters beyond here?"

"Just a sentry," Christopher answered. "But he won't hurt use since we created him."

Aelita looked at Anne Marie and saw a flash in the witch's eyes. What was going on in her mentor's head? Who exactly came to the ruins before they did?

"Let's just go in and get this over with," Ulrich muttered. "I don't like the feeling I'm getting in this place."

Aelita nodded, as did the rest of the group. Odd and Christopher pushed open the door. The door crept slowly open, dust falling from the top as it moved, as for it hadn't been opened very often. Aelita felt a rush of negative energy fly past and through her when the door opened and felt anxious. Who exactly visited the ruins before and why is this presence here?

Aelita gulped and followed after her friends through the door.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Traveler: I guess the Codex is pretty neutral. It's kind of like rap music in comparison, if I'm trying to be hilarious. Just has a bad rep…Ha ha! Yes, Indiana Jones music in the background. I was thinking more boulder trap from the first Resident Evil but that works too. And hm…I must trump your Silent Hill quote. Here's from the outside the bowling alley in Silent Hill 2!**_

"_**I'll wait here…I hate bowling." "I didn't come here to play you know." (I came here to win…)**_

_**Ha ha…James you are a twat.**_

_**Sheograth: Really? Darn it! I was going for the obvious booby trap approach! Oh well, glad it made you laugh.**_

_**Comacazy Freak: Yeah, Christopher does kind of remind one of Odd in a way. But then again, I'm doing a horrible job of representing Odd in this by being sarcastic and junk like that…And I will not spoil what is in store with William until we get closer to his appearance. Which won't be for a while, unfortunately…But he'll be around! And I'll try to have the Skid in the story. The group needs a way around the land besides a horse and carriage, now don't they?**_

_**And it's no problem! I always like responding to my reviewers, especially in expansive stories like this. Makes me feel closer to the readers. And I heard that the company is trying to make a fifth season, but it is in the reflective stages right now. Cross your fingers and we might have a season five!**_

* * *

_**A/N: So there you have it, Christopher in his human form! He is much more melodramatic in this form and it'll be a lot more fun to write for him now that he isn't a cat. And now I have to work on a screenplay so I have to make this note quick! Next chapter, we have a battle! Yay! More work for me but more fun for the reader. And that's all that matters to me is the happiness of the reader.**_

_**So anyways, thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	26. Colossus Rises

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty Five: Colossus Rises**_

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Aelita walked along side Anne Marie and Christopher as they walked up the steps. Aelita felt like the stairs went on forever and she could hear several waterfalls as they got closer. She looked at Anne Marie. The witch's eyes were narrowed and jaw clenched tightly. Christopher was looking around for something it seemed. The rest of the group was talking normally about some thing Aelita had no clue about.

Finally, they made it to the top of the steps. Aelita gasped at the beauty at the area. The steps connected to a circular stone platform and the platform was surrounded by waterfalls. Aelita looked at the ground and saw the same rune like markings on the stone. The room was tall, stretching over several meters above with odd hanging lights attached to the ceiling. But with this beauty, Aelita felt a strong presence.

In the middle of the platform was an altar. A giant golden cross with a red gem in the crossing stood next to it. Suddenly, Aelita heard Anne Marie gasp. She looked at her mentor as she ran to a broken stone statue lying on the ground. Christopher chased after her.

"What's wrong with her?" Jeremie asked Aelita. Aelita turned to look at him.

"I don't know," Aelita responded truthfully.

"Someone killed my sentry…" Anne Marie growled. She turned around and stomped back towards the group. She handed her broom to Jeremie, who unwillingly took it. Her eyes flashed with hostility and anger.

"What?" Aelita gasped.

"And I think I know who must've done it…"

Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Aelita turned sharply around and realized they were not in the room alone anymore. It was a giant black monster, almost tall enough to touch the ceiling of the room. Trees grew on its massive arms and on its back. It had a pale, mask-like face but on the mask the ominous Eye of Xana was marked. Aelita, as well as most of the group, gasped.

"What the hell is that thing?" Odd shouted.

"One of _his_ sentries…" Christopher answered, taking his beloved sword from its sheath.

"Huh? Whose sentries?" Yumi asked as she took out her own weapon.

The monster slammed his hands on the ground and released a deafening roar, prompting the rest of the group to ready weapons.

"Uh…we'll explain later," Christopher answered back over the roar. "But right now, let's make this clown dance!"

"For some reason, I hear you loud and clear, cat man!" Odd said with a grin, pulling an arrow back.

"But how will we be able to hit that mark thing?" Ulrich asked. "It's kind of high up…"

"Easy!" Christopher said in his musical voice. "We bring him down…or we climb up."

The monster had finally finished its roar, looking down on the group and panting wildly. Anne Marie smirked as she pulled the top of her staff off of her blade.

"Finally this wanker stops…" She growled. To the monster, she shouted, "Are you quite finished now?"

"I wished he'd shove that creepy roar somewhere," Odd growled as well. "He should know where because it's quite large enough."

Like it was offended, the monster's large right arm struck out at the group. Taking the opportunity up after dodging, Christopher, Ulrich, Yumi and Anne Marie jumped onto the forearm. Aelita flipped through the book nervously, trying to find the binding spell she had found earlier but couldn't help but look at her friends who decided to stay on the ground. Jeremie looked at the monster with wide, fearful eyes, holding Esmeralda close to his body for comfort. This had to be his first time encountering a monster like this. Odd was in his expert archer pose, attempting to shoot arrows at the gigantic monster's mark. The arrows would hit its mark but had no effect on the massive creature. Kiwi was at the monster's feet, nipping and scratching at its enormous feet.

Aelita looked back at the four who were still climbing up the arm. It had seemed the monster had noticed them climbing and began to try to shake them off. The apprentice held her breath and prayed that they would be okay. Thankfully, no one had fallen, yet, grabbing onto on the trees on its arm for support.

She looked back down at the book and was happy to have found the spell for binding. She looked at Jeremie and ran over to him.

"Jeremie! I need to use Esmeralda," Aelita said in a calm voice, despite the situation.

Jeremie jumped at her voice, taking a step back. When he realized it was Aelita, his face softened and he handed her the broom.

"Here…" He said in a small voice.

Aelita nodded and sat on the broom. "Thanks." Before she flew up and away, she stopped and looked at Jeremie. "Do you remember how to use that wand?" Jeremie nodded once. "Good…try to use it. I'm sure we'll need it."

Before he could say anything, Esmeralda zipped up into the sky. The monster seemed to catch sight, and with its left hand, which was busy trying to hit Kiwi and Odd, began trying to swat the broom and rider out of the sky. Aelita, while trying to maintain balance on the broom, read off from the book.

"_To the sleeping earth below, I call upon the spirit to bind. The monster that is trashing and wailing, unwilling to calm for his rage is blind!" _As Aelita pointed at the monster and finished the charm, giant vines shot out of the ground. The vines wrapped around the monster's legs and wrists. The creature let out a scream, struggling about trying to loosen the vines.

Aelita heard Anne Marie and Christopher yell something in unison but couldn't catch what they shouted. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and the monster fell over. Aelita heard the ground shake and Odd yell curses when the creature landed hardly onto the ground.

"Come on, Esmeralda, let's go down and help," Aelita whispered to the broom. The broom complied and swiftly flew down to the ground. When she made it, she could already see her friends, attacking the Eye. The three people with swords, stabbing at the Eye furiously with their weapons. Yumi was slashing at it with her fan while Odd stabbed it with a single arrow. Kiwi was also in on the action, biting and slashing at the mark. The only one ho wasn't doing anything was Jeremie, who still seemed frightened by the ordeal.

All of a sudden, the monster reared back, snapping its vine restraints off. It released a pained roar, blood dripping profusely from its Eye. Anne Marie looked at Christopher and the two nodded.

"What do we do now?" Aelita asked her mentors.

"It's too weak to do anything besides thrash about blindly," Christopher replied. "So we're going to take it out."

"And make sure there is not a trace left of this thing…" Anne Marie added. "Aelita, dear, pay close attention to this."

Aelita nodded. Anne Marie broke away from the gang stood a mere few hundred feet from the thrashing monster. Aelita watched questionably as her mentor dance gracefully around in her own space, yelling something in a language she had no idea what it meant.

"_A graa ors artabas, ixomaxip od oanio!_"

The ground began to shake again as a portal appeared in front of the witch. In a flash of black light, a white monster shot out of the portal. It was a fox-like monster with off-white fur, two rows of teeth and two sets of red glowing eyes. The monster was almost the size of the colossal earth creature, but did not give off the evil presence the dark creature did.

"WHAT THE HELL-HECK in Jeremie's case- IS THAT THING?" Odd and Jeremie shouted in unison at the sight of the summoning.

The fox monster released a screech, capturing the Xana monster's attention. The Xana monster began to back away. Just then, the summoning lunged at it, clamping its massive jowls onto the Xana monster neck.

Christopher folded his arms and chuckled. "Allow me to introduce to you one of the Lady's personal favorite summoning. The moon beast and guardian to Luna, Naavaa!"

"That's really something you really shouldn't say so cheerfully about," Yumi muttered.

Aelita watched on as the earth monster struggled in Naavaa's jaws. The Xana monster reached out to hit Anne Marie, trying to knock her out so the summoning could be cancelled. But the summoning was quick. With a sudden movement, Naavaa threw the colossus into the air, grabbed one of the feet while it was suspended in the air and slammed it hard against the ground. Aelita's eyes widened in fear when she heard the bone chilling snap and as the Xana monster twitched one last time. Then, like a snake would, Naavaa tilted its head back and swallowed its prey whole. The moon beast looked at the group one last time and let out a victory roar before disappearing back into the portal.

The group stood in silence, the only sound coming from the waterfalls. Anne Marie stood still for several moments, before falling to her knees. Christopher ran to her aid immediately while the rest of the group stood back, still trying to comprehend what just happened.

Christopher helped Anne Marie up and guided her to the group. Aelita noticed how tired her mentor looked, beads of sweat dripping down her face.

"Aelita…" Anne Marie began in a quiet voice.

"Yes, Lady Anne?"

"Never do a summoning like that if you haven't done one in a while." Aelita knew her mentor was serious but couldn't help but laugh. Everyone else, including Christopher, joined in on the laughing. "Shut up! I'm serious!"

Aelita chuckled. "Heh, I'm sorry master…"

"Anyways! Let's go get that book and get the hell out of here!" Odd said cheerfully.

Everyone nodded and went towards the altar, which, thankfully, was not destroyed. But when they made it to the altar, Aelita knew that there was something wrong.

There was only one book there. The _Terra Tract._

Anne Marie's eyes widened and her fire coloured hair rose up like flames. "What?"

"Where are the rest of the books?" Yumi asked. "I thought there were four?"

"There are four and someone took the other three!" Christopher gasped, his blue eyes clouding with nervousness.

Anne Marie slammed her fists onto the altar, making the lonely book jump. "That fool! And we hid the books so well!"

"Do you know who has stolen them?" Ulrich asked.

"I might have a good idea," Anne Marie growled. The witch turned away from the altar and began stomping towards the exit, using her teleportation skills to retrieve her weapons.

Jeremie took a hold of the book. He still looked pale but wasn't as scared or nervous as he was before. "Well…at least we got the book now. I'm sure we can find the other ones…"

Christopher nodded. "You're right. Our main priority is to save the hermit. I'm sure we can figure out where those books gotten to."

Aelita agreed. Right now they had to hurry to the prison and save the hermit from the Black Cloaked Society. But as she left the altar room, she could still feel the traces of the Evil Lord Xana watching them, laughing at them from a safe room with the three other tomes in his hands…

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Traveler: Xana's being a little over confident. You know how he can be. Yep, there is your Jeremie/Aelita fluff for the chapter, happy? And there will be more soap opera Christopher in the story. Will he be able to walk around naked? Probably not, but one can only hope. And, yay! I'm doing something right with Odd! Of course, the mentors anticipated the trap. They're witch a wizard…hat's one of the things they're good at. And now this is a real challenge, beating that line…Got it!**_

"_**RRrrrrrr…."-Pyramid Head. (Beat that!)**_

_**Comacazy Freak: Well just see what happens and hope for the best! And yay, again! I'm doing a good job with Odd. And yes, there will be a Carthage-like area in the story. The kingdom they are actually in is the "Lyoko Empire". More will be made clear when the story goes on, I promise. And thank you for the review!**_

_**Sheograth: Is a variation on the Kolossus good enough? And I hope the battle satisfied you!**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: Yeah…I update this a lot. The joys of summer vacation…And reading your comment makes me want to draw a picture of the group's reaction to Christopher being naked. Thanks for sticking to the story still and reviewing!**_

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_**A/N: Yes, a variation of the Kolossus makes his appearance and the group finds only one of four books. Oo…the suspense. Next chapter they are on the way to free the hermit! But why does the Secret Society need the tome? We'll just wait and see…**_

_**And now for a fun fact! When Anne Marie screams **_"_A graa ors artabas, ixomaxip od oanio!_"_**, this is loosely translated to "Moon of Darkness that governs, let her be known and roar!" The language is Enochian, an occult language created in the sixteenth century. It is said that this is the language of angels. Though it is said just to be a constructed language, with the grammar being primarily in English, I decided to go ahead and use this as the summoning language instead of making up my own random words. I used a simple online dictionary to find meanings. Fun fact, done.**_

_**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	27. Sleazy Pig

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty Six: Sleazy Pig**_

_**

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**_

The five day journey back to the city of Kadic was a tense one in Aelita's mind. Everyone was cheerful and often telling jokes along the way. But inside, Aelita knew that they were anxious and somewhat feared the unknown of what might happen when they did arrive to the prison island and hand the _Terra Tract _to the evil Society. The sacred tome to summon an Earth spirit for the safety of the Hermit Delmas. Who knew if the hermit was even kept safe? Besides, why did the Black Cloaked Society, which can summon powerful demons already, need a tome like the _Terra Tract_? And what happened to the other three books? It was obvious Xana had taken him, but why did he leave behind the one book?

Aelita sighed and brushed a hand over Esmeralda, leaning back and resting her head on the side of the carriage.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Aelita looked up and saw Yumi looking at her. The former thief had a look of concern on her. "You have been really quiet today. You didn't even laugh when Odd and Ulrich were making fun of the cat man's sword name."

Aelita shook her head slowly. "No, I'm fine. Thank you."

"You worried about being in the city again?"

Aeltia shrugged. "Kind of, I guess…I'm more afraid of what might happen when we make it to the island."

"I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure we'll make it out fine." Aelita still looked unsure. Yumi placed a comforting hand on the apprentice's shoulder. "We made it through those ruins alive, didn't we?"

Aelita gave her a smile and nodded. "I guess you're right."

"So I think we can handle a couple of summoning extremists." Yumi gave her a smile.

"Yeah...thank you Yumi."

"It's no problem."

"Okay gang!" Christopher shouted back from the driver's seat. "We're almost at the boat dock thingy. All we have to do is get a boat large enough to hold the carriage and then smooth sailing to a prison!"

"Um…news flash," Jeremie grumbled. "We need money to use a boat."

"Really?" Christopher asked, cocking his head innocently. "I thought we could just borrow it…"

"Yeah," Ulrich spoke up. "You need to talk to some sleazy guy who runs the boat docks. He locks the gate to it when he isn't inside, which is all the time."

"Why is sleazy?" Aelita asked.

"He just is…he runs a brothel…a circus…and a boat dock," Ulrich counting off all of the things the guy must have owned.

"The brothel was not worth…" Odd placed in. "I only had to take one step in there before I turned tail and fled."

Kiwi nodded his head after his owner spoke. Aelita laughed nervously at Odd's comment before her mentor spoke.

"Well, now what do we do?" Anne Marie asked. "I'm sure we cannot just walk up to the bloke and ask 'Excuse me, good sir. May we please use a boat for free?'"

"Hm…" Yumi scratched her chin, her dark eyes narrowed as she tried to think. She looked at Ulrich. "You said he has a circus, right?"

Ulrich nodded. "A black market like thing, yes."

"Then I have a plan!" Yumi looked at Christopher first. "Can you switch back to your cat form?"

Christopher's eyes brightened up immediately. "You mean I don't have to wear clothing anymore? Absolutely!"

"Right when we're done, you're wearing it again…" Anne Marie growled at him.

"Aw…Anne…"

Yumi ignored their bickering and looked at Odd. "Can we use your dog?"

Odd raised a brow. "As long as you don't do anything bad to him…"

"Okay, then here's my plan."

Aelita, Anne Marie, Jeremie, Christopher-in his small cat form-, and Kiwi walked up a man sitting outside on a chair. He was a dingy looking man, smoking out of a pipe. Thick smoke surrounded him and Aelita tried her best to not gag as they came closer. Jeremie held onto a leash, nearly being drug by the wolf. Anne Marie had Christopher on a leash. The witch would repeatedly pull on the leash, making Christopher growl at her.

The sleazy looking man looked at them as they came near. His beady eyes glancing at Anne Marie's body and then Aelita's. She felt uncomfortable as the man ogled her, giving him a glare in return.

He blew out some smoke and spoke in a hoarse, disgusting voice. "May I help you?"

Anne Marie, putting on her best fake polite voice, spoke to man. Aelita noticed her mentor's eyebrow twitched as she spoke to the disgusting man. "Hello…I hear you are looking for animals."

"That depends…I'm looking for more brothel girls at the moment and I'm sure you two-"

"Excuse me, _sir_," Jeremie said through gritted teeth. The man looked at him with narrowed eyes. "My mother, my sister and I are in a tough spot. Our father has just died and the tax collectors are demanding a payment by the end of this week. If we don't pay, we'll lose our house and everything else."

"Sounds like a personal problem," The man growled. "And I suppose you want to give me this, er…dog and this pussy cat?"

Jeremie nodded. "But these are not just any ordinary cat or wolf. This cat can actually dance. And the wolf can actually understand human speech."

"Still not impressed," the man snarled. "Now get away or I'll make you."

Anne Marie's fake expression quickly gave way, turning to her normally angry one. "Now listen up. We want to sell these animals to you."

"They are very good animals," Aelita put in.

"What are you going to do to me?" The man challenged. "Fine! I'll look at your stupid animals."

Christopher and Kiwi let out a short small growl. The man bent over and picked up Christopher first. Aelita could see her feline mentor was not enjoying being handled by the slob of a man.

"So this cat can dance?" The man asked.

"Yes he can," Aelita answered. She took Christopher from the man and stood him up on his hind paws. "Come on Cael. Be a good kitty and dance."

Christopher just stood on his hind paws, doing his impersonation of a normal cat. He let out a big yawn and moved his front paws up and down.

Aelita caught Jeremie doing a small waving motion from the corner of her eyes. Then, a stumbling figure wearing a dark blue cloak came by, running into the sleazy man. The sleazy man pushed the figure away and shouted at it. Aelita could've sworn she saw food and salvia flying from his mouth as he spoke.

"What's the big idea you freak?" He shouted. "Get lost!"

The stumbling figure nodded and stumbled away, back the way it came. Jeremie leaned over and whispered into Aelita's ear.

"Time to go now," Jeremie whispered. Aelita nodded and nudged her mentor.

"Thank you for your time, sir." Anne Marie hissed out the 'sir'. "But we need to go now."

The man narrowed his eyes at the group and waved his hand away. "Find you bastards…get lost! And make sure I never see you ever again."

Aelita muttered. "We'll be happy to comply with that." She scooped up Christopher and the group ran away, following after the cloaked figure.

They rounded the corner and found Nightshade and the carriage. Odd was sitting in the back and the figure was standing next to the carriage.

"Did you get it?" Jeremie asked.

The figure pulled down the hood and removed the cloak, revealing both Yumi and Ulrich. Yumi grinned as she held up the keys.

"I told you I'm an amazing thief," Yumi said triumphantly.

Ulrich sighed. "Somehow I feel like a thief and all I did was help create a hunch back effect…"

Yumi looked at him and smirked. "Not so righteous now, are you bounty hunter?"

Ulrich stuck his tongue out at her and said nothing more. Christopher jumped onto the carriage and began licking his chest fur.

"Ew…I'm going to be doing this till I get his reek off of me," The cat complained.

"Now what do we do?"Odd asked.

"We wait till moonlight so we can sneak into the boat docks so we won't get caught. Then, we'll steal a boat large enough to fit our carriage."

"Sigh…somehow, I'm beginning to feel more like a criminal than a rescuer…" Ulrich grumbled.

"Irony is a funny thing…" Jeremie said with a sigh.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Traveler: Oh, my friend, Xana is definitely just warming up. And it's only natural for Jeremie to be nervous about a giant monster the size of his house attacking. I know I'd be…but he'll probably adjust to it eventually. Xana has every right to be over confident. He hasn't been opposed for many years thanks to the magic hunts and to the fact that he is a powerful wizard himself. Once he realizes his power is in jeopardy, he'll probably try to murder the group as ruthlessly as he can. And NOOOO! You pulled the Harry Mason Hardcore Mix score. Kunimitsu…defeated.**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: Hooray! Congratulations! And thank you! They'll meet the hermit soon since they are making it to the place he's at. Yeah…it's been a while trying to get to that point. I blame the Men in Black who wanted the freaking book. And lovely quote, my dear! Thank you for the read.**_

_**

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**_

_**A/N: Yay! A sleaze ball! But now we get to go to the prison island and we are getting closer to seeing the Hermit. But what plans do the Society hold when our group gets there? We'll just wait and see.**_

_**And is it just me or is FF acting screwy? I don't know…it just seems like it is to me…**_

_**Anyways, thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	28. Deadly Aroma

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty Seven: Deadly Aroma**_

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"Alright! The boat is all set!" Christopher shouted after loading Nightshade and the cart. The cat wizard was forced to turn back to his human state, much to his disappointment, when the sting for the keys was over but he seemed just as cheerful as he normally is. "All aboard!"

"Wait!" Aelita shouted, holding up her hands. "Where's the Lady?"

"Anne?" Christopher asked.

Odd rolled his eyes. "She's the only one referred to "lady" on this trip."

"Oh…yeah. She had some business to take care of."

"What?" Odd asked. "Is she making a deal with a devil or something because I thought she already-"

"Well, actually witches are not satanic at all. Only the idiots who are all extremist and make a bad name for others…" Aelita watched Odd jumped nearly off the dock as Anne Marie came out of the shadows behind him.

"How the hell did you do that?" Odd shouted at the witch.

Anne Marie folded her arms and glared at him. "Do we really have to go over the whole "I'm a witch" thing again? Oh bugger, you are a clueless one."

Before Odd could shout an insult back, Ulrich intervened. "More importantly, where did you go?"

"Oh, take care of some business you might say," Anne Marie spoke. "I had a meeting with a pig to sort out some problems."

Aelita's eyes widened. "Master! Don't tell me you turned him into a pig!"

The witch threw her head back and laughed. "You are a quick one, my dear."

Yumi shrugged. "I don't know, I think he deserved it. The freaking pig shoved me."

Ulrich cleared his throat. "Shoved _us_."

"Fine…shoved _us_."

"Um…can we just go now?" Jeremie asked. He, Kiwi and Christopher were the only ones in the boat besides Nightshade.

The without a single word, the rest of the group made it onto the boat. With Christopher and Ulrich at the oars, the ship rowed off quietly from the dock and further into the lake with mist rising up. With the moon as there only light, the group slipped off towards the large island prison.

* * *

It didn't take very long to reach the island and not very long to unload the boat. While herbs aren't being brought into the fortress, weapons were mandatory. Aelita guessed that since they were going into enemy territory that the weapons could come in handy. Since they probably were just going to go in and get out, the herbs were probably unnecessary and would just be in the way. Even Esmeralda was going to stay behind.

Aelita finished undoing Nightshade's harness, picked up her book and followed the group towards the entrance to the prison. Christopher pushed open the door and with an eerie creak, the group let themselves inside. The prison smelt like mold. Shackles, stockades and other torture devices hung off of the wet looking stone walls. Water dripped from the ceiling and the lighting was horrible. Aelita had never been in a prison before but she wasn't expecting these kinds of conditions.

"It's a good thing that I didn't stick my nose in the wrong places," Yumi grumbled. "I wouldn't want to end up in a place like this."

Aelita heard Ulrich chuckle. "Remember? You're a thief."

Yumi pretended to sound hurt. "Oh yeah, that's right. Consider this that once I got caught by you, I saw the error of my ways and retired from thievery."

"But we just stole the keys from the pig man!"

"Both of you lovebirds!" Odd hissed. "Quit having your lover's squabble and let me have some peace and quiet."

With that, the two stopped bickering and the walk through the hall was quiet. Christopher was the one who held onto the book. The hallway finally gave way and the group entered a large room. At the end of the room were steps that led up to some door.

Aelita heard something growl from behind. She stopped walking and looked back at the entrance to see Kiwi. A snarl was on the wolf's face and his body was in a defensive stance. His fur stood on end.

"What's with your wolf?" Jeremie asked Odd. "Why he acting like that?"

Odd shrugged and looked back at Kiwi. "I don't know. What's wrong boy?"

Aelita watched Odd's eyes glaze and the blonde archer fell over. Aelita gasped and ran to Odd.

"Odd, what are you doing?" Ulrich asked. "This is no time….to…be-."

Next Ulrich was the one to fall over. Then Yumi and Jeremie. Christopher looked at Anne Marie with shocked eyes, and then they also fell over. The _Terra Tract_ fell to the ground besides Christopher. That was when Aelita began to felt weird. Her body went numb and it became harder to breathe. She was the next and last to fall over. The only one that didn't seem to be fazed at all was Kiwi, who was still in his stance.

"This…aroma has traces of…foxglove and curare," Anne Marie said, though Aelita guessed it was hard to talk. "One whiff and then…you're paralyzed…"

"Kind of…late for that…" Odd growled.

Aelita heard a high pitch laugh, noticing the voice of the young man who they encountered at the hermit's tent. With her eyes, she looked up to see the same young man.

"How did you like my perfume?" He purred in his high voice.

Kiwi growled even louder. The young man looked up and saw the wolf. He cocked his head to the side and Aelita heard Kiwi's paws run away from the room. The door at the top steps flung open and the deeper, eviler voice of the original Society member spoke.

"Go after the mutt and kill it," he growled. "And if you find the mare, kill her too."

Aelita saw the man go up to Christopher. He let out a low laugh and picked up the book.

"Thank you all, very much," He said in an attempt at a cheerful tone. "But looks like you all have landed in my trap." He looked at Anne Marie and Christopher. "And you two who claim you are witches did not even notice it? Such a pity…"

"We're witches…not psychic, stupid," Anne Marie snarled.

"My, my…well, now that you're here, I guess we can let you stay before we kill you. We'll get those pesky animals out of the way first and then go after you…"

Aelita wanted to say something only remembered her closing her eyes and falling into a deep, momentary sleep.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: Great suggestion and suggestion taken! And your quote made me laugh. I would give you one of mine…but I don't remember any of my epic ones at the moment. And yay! Three reviews in a row!**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Ulrich, the successful swordsman and heartthrob bounty hunter reduced to a thief? What will Milly and Tamiya when there news-scroll team hear this? And I'm glad you liked the fluff between the two. And I like the suggestion. I might take it up in the future. :)**_

_**WingedHero540: Phew…glad I'm not imagining things.**_

_**Sheograth: Ulrich is the one who usually catches people who do that so he is definitely out of his comfort zone. And I don't know about the skid yet. But since it is an important thing to the series, and this is an AU story, will try to put it in. Besides, I'm sure it'll be a lot faster and easier on Nightshade. **_

_**Traveler: Correction! Yumi was the one who came up with the plan. Jeremie, along with Aelita, was the chosen character to play Anne Marie's "child". I'm sure he didn't like that when he heard he had to do that. And Xana should definitely follow that rule but this one will probably not. The toilet thing! Why didn't I do that? Oh well…**_

* * *

_**A/N: Now the group is captured and Kiwi and Nightshade have targets one their heads. What will happen next time? Oh how fun…**_

_**Anyways, I really do not have much to say with this. I'm working on sketches of the characters, showing off their complete outfits. Already have the group shot, just need individuals. Also, since I love her so much despite the fact she is a broom, I might make a fun chapter or story with Esmeralda. I have no idea why, but I just like her so much! But I digress…**_

_**Oh, and "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" is an amazing movie…Nuff said.**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	29. Hoof and Fang, Tails and Handle

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty Eight: Hoof and Fang, Tails and Handle**_

* * *

Kiwi ran like the wind out of the fortress as soon as he sensed the odd sensation in the air. He heard the evil cloak man tell the underling to go after himself and the mare. With a heavy heart for his master and his friends, he had no choice but to run away. But he knew that he had to go back and face the cloaked people.

But the wolf knew he would have no chance by himself. So why go back alone when you can have a little help?

Kiwi had made it outside of the prison and into the forest. Thankfully, in the bushes, he spotted the black and white tail of the horse Nightshade.

'_Nightshade! Nightshade!_' Kiwi barked at the mare.

Nightshade quickly lifted her head and walked up to the wolf. '_Kiwi? What is it? Where are our masters?_'

Kiwi curled his lip. '_They were taken. The men in black cloaks put some sort of poison in the air. I was able to catch it before it could do any effect on me._'

'_But that's terrible._' Nightshade stomped her foot. '_We need to go in there and save them_.'

'_That's why I came out here for you. You'd be a good distraction I think…_'

'_Distraction?_' The mare snorted and tossed her head. '_No…I am no distraction. I know a little bit of magic. Comes with the territory of being a witch's steed. We also have someone else who may help us._'

Kiwi shook his head, not wanting to argue. '_Okay, okay. But who is this someone else?_'

Nightshade walked to the carriage, still in the boat tied to the dock, and used her foreleg to kick the boat.

'_Esmeralda, dear_,' Nightshade neighed. '_Come with us please._'

But the broom did not rise. Kiwi cocked his head to the side in confusion. '_Why is she ignoring you?_'

'_She does this from time to time…Esmeralda, Lady Anne and Lord Christopher has been captured_.'

With that the broom quickly rose up and floated out of the carriage and onto the dock. Kiwi sniffed the broom and the broom jumped back, literally hopping around Nightshade to stand behind her.

'_She is quite shy_,' Nightshade explained.

Kiwi's ears went back. '_But it's a broom_.'

Nightshade chuckled. '_That's just what you and all of your master's friends think_…'

'_Um…okay. Well, what do you think we should do for a plan_?'

Nightshade cocked her head to side. '_I'm not all too good when it comes to making plans…_'

'_Either am I…We're screwed._'

The horse slapped the wolf with her tail. '_Calm down, my wolf friend. I'm sure we can figure something out_.'

Kiwi shrugged and released a breath. '_Well…maybe I can think of something. But are willing to be a distraction just for five seconds?_'

* * *

Two guards made their rounds around the prison. They were cloaked like all of the other Society member, buts instead of carrying swords, they carried batons. They would taunt prisoners by shouting at them and slapping at the bars with the batons. The prisoners would just simply glare at the men and not say a thing.

One of the guards looked up and saw a horse at the end of the hallway. A tall black and white mare pawed at the ground and sniffed the floor. The guards looked at each other and shrugged, walking towards the horse.

"What the hell is up with this?" One of the cloaked guards complained. "What idiot didn't close the stables again?"

"Probably one of the blasted superiors," The other growled. "They're all worked up now that they got that book. They also got some prisoners too I heard."

"That crazy ass witch, the cat guy and those other people they caught? Yeah, heard about it. Don't really care. They'll be dead by tomorrow anyways."

"Ha! Probably. Now let's get the stupid horse."

With those words, the horse reared up, whinnying furiously. The men stepped back, raising their clubs. Just as one of them was about to hit the mare, a tan wolf shot out from the shadows. The wolf went after the one close to the horse and the mare went after the other.

After several moments, both men were knocked unconscious. The mare snorted furiously and the wolf snarled at the bodies.

'_What nerve these blokes have for insulting our masters!_' Nightshade said fiercely.

'_Yeah…_' Kiwi growled. He looked back at the shadows. '_Esmeralda, its okay to come out now._'

The broom bounced out of the shadows and stood next to Nightshade. The mare was looking over the bodies, moving clothing around with her lips. Then, the mare held up a ring of keys.

'_We could try these when we find them_,' Nightshade mumbled with the ring in her mouth. '_Can you catch their scent_?'

'_All I can smell is mold and disgusting water._'

Nightshade sighed and looked at Esmeralda. '_You can sense the Lady and Christopher. Can you please try to look for them, dear?_'

Esmeralda jumped up and down quickly. Kiwi cocked his head to the side.

'_Uh…is that a yes_?' Kiwi asked.

Nightshade nodded her head, the keys jingling together as she moved. '_All we have to do is follow her now.'_

Kiwi shrugged. '_Okay, but let us hurry. Lead the way._'

Esmeralda began to float above ground and went off a fast past. Kiwi ran after the broom while Nightshade kept up with a quick trot. The three went down the hallway, looking and hoping their human friends were alright.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: Oh, that thing. Of course it will be! All of the monsters in the Lyoko universe will be seen at one point or another.**_

_**Traveler: Aw…the melancholy of Jeremie. I can't say that I feel sorry for the guy. Oh well. And thunderstorms are cool. And you can put up a quote whenever.**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: Hello! And no problem! I actually thought it was an awesome suggestion. And I'm going to guess who you were guessing…Esmeralda, right? She's a broom and doesn't need oxygen to live…Thanks for the four reviews in a row. ;)**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Oh noes! Yeah, I wanted some closure with the sleazebag. Yeah, I don't like people like that either so I felt like taking above suggestion and turning him into a pig. And what is happening to the gang? We'll find out next chapter!**_

* * *

_**A/N: A short chapter with the minor members of the gang showing some action! Next chapter we see what is happening to the group while Kiwi and friends are breaking into prison. Breaking into prison…now that just sounds weird and ironic.**_

_**And I really don't have much to report…But thanks for the read and please review. Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	30. Cracking the Whip

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Twenty Nine: Cracking the Whip**_

* * *

Aelita's didn't like the way she felt when she woke up. Her head felt like it was in a fog and it was hazier than ever. When she opened her eyes and looked around at her surrounding, she realized that she was in a cell. Three walls made of stone with bars in front. Aelita could not see anything in front of her besides steps that led out of the dungeon.

After her eyes adjusted to the lights, Aelita stood up. "H-hey…is anyone here?"

After several moments of silence and water dripping into a barrel outside her cell, Aelita heard Odd's voice moan groggily.

"Aelita…it's me," Odd sighed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Aelita answered, happy to hear Odd's voice.

"Ow, my freaking head…" Yumi complained. "What the hell was up with that perfume?"

"Yumi!" Aelita shouted.

"Hey guys…" The thief muttered.

"Aelita?" Another voice called out. "I can't see you but I can hear you."

"Jeremie! Thank the gods you're okay!"

"I hate waking up on the hard ground…" Ulrich mumbled sleepily. "What gives? Why are we here?"

"We're trapped, genius one," Anne Marie's voice growled. "The Society caged us like animals."

"He he…they sure caught us," Christopher's voice was cheerful still, despite the situation.

"Hey, Christopher and Anne!" Jeremie shouted. "Can't you break us out with your magic?"

"Sorry but we can't," Anne Marie answered.

"Why not?" Yumi asked. "And don't tell us you lost your magic when you were sleeping."

"Of course we didn't!" Christopher answered back. "We're handcuffed with these weird shackle thingies."

"While sounding more intelligent than my partner over in some cell," Anne Marie spoke up. "We are shackled with magic braces that cancel out our ability to use magic. In sort, no magic powers till we get these off."

Aelita looked down at her own wrists and noticed that they too were bounded with shackles. The chains connecting these shackles though were nothing like Aelita has seen before. Traditional steel with some dark violet string woven in between. That was thing blocking out the magic.

"Clever…" Aelita muttered to herself. Looks like the Society was not going to take any chances with the magic users of the group.

"What about you Aelita?" Ulrich asked. "Are you shackled too?"

"Yeah…" Aelita answered. The group let out a sigh, crestfallen.

"Now how are we going to get out?" Jeremie asked.

"Well, we can relax till we figure out something," Odd said.

"But if we do that, we'll die, you idiot," Yumi growled.

"True…"

Ulrich sighed. "Don't worry. Kiwi will find a way to save us."

"What that stupid wolf?" Anne Marie said in a harsh voice.

"He's smarter than you," Odd snapped back. "He not in a cell now is he?"

The group of people, with the exception of Anne, broke out into a laughing fit. Anne Marie over the laughing was shouting "Oh bite me, you jerks!" But they continued to laugh at her.

The laughter stopped when someone other than the group cleared their throat. Aelita looked up and saw a cloaked member standing at the foot of the steps. Unlike the member with the deep voice and the high pitched young man member, who both carry swords, this member held a whip.

"Are you having fun in my dungeon?" The member asked, revealing that this one is a woman. Her voice was low and had uncomfortable, to Aelita anyway, purr.

"To be frank, it sucks," Odd answered.

"A woman member?" Christopher spoke out. "Finally the head guy stopped being sexist."

"Hey!" The woman member cracked her whip on the ground, nearly hitting Christopher. "Do not disrespect my leader!" She straightened herself up and let out a low chuckle. "My name is Madeline. But to you I am mistress."

She cracked the whip again. Aelita looked at Madeline in question because of the fact she just gave out her name and because of her dominating personality.

"Great…that's what we need…A whip and torture enthusiast," Yumi growled.

"For once I totally agree with you," Ulrich said in a low voice. "I bet she has a weird outfit underneath that robe of hers…"

Aelita heard Madeline stomp towards presumably Ulrich's cell. She cracked the whip once again but it was Odd who cried out. "What was that for, you witch?"

Madeline did not answer and began walking in front of the cells.

"You were foolish to expect that there wasn't going to be a trap," Madeline began, taking long, slow strides as she walked in front of the cells. "Now you all will pay the consequences."

"W-what are you going to do to us?" Odd asked.

"Well…your execution is in the morning. And everyone here is _dying _to see that..." Madeline laughed evilly.

Suddenly, a howling noise was heard. It didn't sound like Kiwi's but it was deeper and sounded eviler than the tan wolf's. Madeline sighed in annoyance and looked at the cells.

"Don't even think about trying to escape, but that is highly unlikely. Outside I posted one of my favorite summonings. My cute, little Ramon is the guard. But I'm sure if you do escape, he'll enjoy the treat."

With one last laugh, Madeline made her way to the stairs and disappeared. Aelita let out a troubled sigh and fell to her knees.

* * *

'_We're almost there_,' Nightshade announced. '_I can feel it._'

'_Yeah…but something feels odd_,' Kiwi commented as they rounded a corner and began walking down a flight of steps.

When they made it to the bottom, Kiwi's eyes widened. There was a door on the opposite side of the room but there was something in front of it.

A large monster, a black dog with three heads and two tails. Catching the scent of the broom and animals, three sets of red eyes opened and a snarl appeared on each face. The dog easily broke the chain holding it back as it stood up. It let out a single, ferocious bark that shook the room.

'_Why do I always know that this will happen when we get close to something_?' Kiwi growled.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Sheograth: Yeah, I noticed it was…And this one seemed pretty short as well. Oh well, next chapter is a battle scene so I'm sure it'll be longer.**_

_**Comacazy Freak: Nah, its fine. At least you reviewed the last one! The animal characters are some of my favorites to work with because you don't hear their voices or opinions most of the time. And all of the monsters in the Lyoko universe, as well as some homemade ones, will make an appearance at one point or another. Just be patient. :)**_

* * *

_**A/N: Another short chapter but finally, a Society member gives us a name! I think her and the other two members of the Black Cloak Society I introduced are going to be the central ones. The rest will just be nameless drones wearing the same outfit.**_

_**And I really don't have much to say for this one…Oh well. Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	31. Guardian

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Thirty: Guardian**_

* * *

'_Are we really going to have to fight that thing?_' Kiwi growled, getting into a fighting stance.

'_I suppose we have to,_' Nightshade answered.

The three headed guard dog let out another roar, taking a step forward. Esmeralda, standing behind Kiwi, was trembling like a frightened child. Kiwi narrowed his eyes and snarled at the creature. The abomination of a dog snarled back. It lifted its giant black paw and, with unbelievably quick speed for its side, slammed it down on the ground, trying to smash the broom, wolf and horse. With their own agility, they managed to evade the attack by jumping to the side.

'_Careful!_' Nightshade neighed. '_His fangs are poisoned. One bite and you're done for.'_

Kiwi grunted. '_I'll remember. You be careful too and work out some magic!_' The wolf looked at the shaking broom. He wanted to commented oon how "brooms could not shake like nervous children", but now was not the time. '_Come on Esmeralda! Come and help me!_'

The broom stopped shaking and, from Kiwi's perspective, made a nod-like gesture. Given the situation, Kiwi made no complaint and nodded back. The wolf looked back at the dog and charged. Esmeralda was at his side, flying towards the dog and not jumping. One of the three heads was lowered, giving Kiwi the chance to jump on. Naturally, the beast began to shake its head furiously, trying to lose the wolf. Kiwi managed to hang on by biting into the fur behind the head. While hanging on, Kiwi managed to get in a few blows, scratching at the dog head's eyes with sharp hind claws.

The monster let out a pained yelp and tried even harder to get Kiwi to let go. Esmeralda was at a different head, running into the head with her handle. The head she was attacking let out an irritated roar and tried to bite at her. Kiwi looked back at Nightshade. The mare was standing inside a dark violet circle on her hind legs. Kiwi couldn't see the symbols marked inside and around the circle.

'_What are you doing?_' Kiwi growled through the fur in his mouth. '_We have some monster slaying to do!_'

Nightshade did not answer and slammed her front hooves on the ground. 'Micma!'

Kiwi had no time to comprehend what came next. He saw Esmeralda fly back towards Nightshade.

'_Kiwi! Move out of the way!_' Was all he heard the mare shout.

He let go of the fur and jumped down, running back towards the horse. Suddenly, the ground shook and Kiwi whipped around to see what had occurred. A giant spiked wheel was now on top of the dog monster's back. It struggled in vain, unable to get the wheel off.

'_Kiwi! Kick that thing and make it spin! I can't move out of the circle or the spell will be broken._'

Kiwi nodded and dashed towards the wheels. As he neared the red eyed dog was not going to let the wolf try to win this time. All three heads tried snapping at Kiwi and Kiwi was able to dodge. But the wolf knew he had no way at getting at the wheel with three angry dog heads going after him. So Kiwi ran to the back and with the greatest jump he had ever down and adding in a flip, the wolf kicked the wheel with his hind feet.

The wheel began to spin quickly, the spikes digging into the monster's back. Kiwi ran back to Nightshade and Esmeralda, careful to avoid the flying blood. The dog monster let out a painful, agitated howl as the wheel of torture continued to rip into its back. The middle head's eyes began to glow red and fire shot out of its mouth. The three jumped out of the way before the fire could hit them. But with that movement, the wheel stopped spinning and disappeared. The spell was broken but the effect of it still seemed to affect the monster.

All three heads were growling in pain, red eyes glowing hostile.

'_Now what?_' Kiwi asked. '_He's weak but how can we finish him off_.'

'_Let's try combining our powers,_' Nightshade suggested. Kiwi looked at her in confusion but she answered before he could speak. '_Just howl and I'll handle the rest._'

Kiwi shrugged and lifted his head back, letting out a beautiful howl over the monster's howl.

'Emna ol! Adrpan! Adna znrza…Oxex raclir!' Nightshade whinnied over the howl.

From the sky, dozens of wolf-like heads flew out, striking the demon dog's head and body. Kiwi continued to howl and more wolves came from the sky, attacking the dog. When he finished so did the wolves. Kiwi looked at the abomination of a dog. It was making the feeble attempt to stand, the evil glow in its eyes waning.

All three heads tilted back, releasing a pained, lonely howl. Then, it crashed to the ground. The body disappeared and vanished in a black cloud. Kiwi couldn't help but let out a victory howl, his paws tingling with the excitement of defeating the dog creature.

'_Nicely done!_' Nightshade cheered. Even Esmeralda was jumping down excitedly. '_That monster must've been a summoning. Usually summoning monsters disappear like that when they are defeated…_'

'_Well, you learn something everyday,_' Kiwi barked with a shrug. '_Let's go save our masters!_'

Nightshade nodded, picking up the keys she tossed onto the ground before the battle. The three went the door on the other side of the room, excited to find what may be on the other side.

* * *

Aelita opened her eyes when she heard the door open, praying that the sadistic Madeline has not come to check on them. But she did not hear human footsteps, but claws scrapping against stone. And even…hoof beats?

Aelita's eyes widened and a smile came on her face as Kiwi, Nightshade and Esmeralda appeared at the bottom of the steps.

"Kiwi!" Odd shouted happily. "I knew you'd come and save us!"

"Nightshade and Esmeralda!" Christopher said musically. "My two best girls! Uh…I mean, after my dear Aelita and Annie…"

"Did you bring the keys?" Aelita asked. She heard the tell-tale jingling noise and saw the key shaped metal on a ring in Nightshade's mouth.

"You two really came through this time!" Yumi said cheerfully. "We owe you big time as soon as we get out of this prison."

After the unlocking of all the cells and the removal of the shackles on the magic users, the group came to the center of the room. Odd had found the weapons in a trunk in the same room.

Jeremie chuckled. "You'd think they'd be smarter and keep the weapons in a different room."

"They were expecting us to be dead by the morning," Anne Marie pointed out. She looked at the animals and smiled. "Fortunately, we had some help of a different species."

"Now what do we do?" Ulrich asked, adjusting his sheath back on his belt.

"Well…find and save the hermit," Christopher answered. "We should not leave till we find out his fate."

"And we should try to take the _Terra Tract_ back," Anne Marie added. "Then we can try to find out what happened to the other books."

"But we need to be careful," Aelita gasped. "We don't have any herbs and we really shouldn't go back outside till we are absolutely finished here."

The group agreed, nodding in unison.

"Humph! I'm sure we'll be fine!" Odd boasted. He winked at all of them and smirked. "What's worst that could happen?"

"Well…we could die in a horrible fashion!" Christopher answered in a cheerful voice.

"Okay…never say something like that and smile ever again…" Yumi sighed. "Now let's get the show on the road. I seriously want to kick some black robed guy ass."

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: Oh yeah…I'd be mad too if I was being held captive on a seemingly harmless attempt to save someone. Especially Odd…Mister Rogue will never be confided in a cage! And yeah…it's kind of obvious that Esmeralda is my favorite. I just have fun using a broom as a character.**_

_**Comacazy Freak: Of course I will answer all of your questions! That's why I have a response at the end of each chapter. Okay, first question…I wasn't really intending on being a digital sea to be honest. But…I do have plans for the water monsters when I get to a certain point in the story. I have it all drafted out but I don't want to spoil what comes in the later chapter. Mantas will not be in the water, unfortunately. I was going to use them as a bird/water monster hybrid. They were kind of like that in the series, flying around towers and all that jazz. But they will have both flying and swimming capabilities. And yes, Creepers will be in Carthage. But it'll be a while until we get to Carthage, sadly… **_

_**MuffinGirl: I've never got one of these questions and I shall answer it! "AU", or "Alternative Universe", stories are stories that keep key characters and canonical facts but, as the name states, takes place in an alternate universe. It can explore the "what-ifs" of a situation, such as "What if Xana won the war against the Lyoko warriors" or something like that. Do you kind of understand it? If not, I'll send you a link to a site that can explain it better than I can.**_

_**Thank you for the review and compliment! And you say you are new to this? Then I welcome you!**_

* * *

_**A/N: The group is reunited with the animals and ready to get some explanations from the head honcho of the Society! I really do not have much to say for this chapter besides please excuse my lousy attempt at a battle scene. I have realized I'm not all too great at it…but I'm practicing!**_

**_Oh! And the translations for the Enochian Nightshade shouts. "Micma" means "behold". "EMNA OL ADRPAN ADNA ZNRZA OXEX RACLIR" means "Herein I cast you down. Swear your obedience with vomiting and weeping!" Pretty cool, huh?_**

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	32. Blood of the Sun and the Moon

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Thirty One: Blood of the Sun and the Moon**_

* * *

Odd and Ulrich kicked the large wooden doors to the main office of the prison. After the knocking down of the door, the group filed in quickly, holding there weapons out. Their footsteps were muffled by the red carpet with each step.

There were no windows in the large room. It was just a grey, stoned wall room with a platform at the far wall. A lush looking throne was placed on the platform. The dark, cloaked figure was perched on the throne, leaning forward with his legs apart. A sword was in between his legs, stabbed into the ground.

Kiwi let out a growl as they stopped moving. Aelita heard a low chuckle came from the cloaked man as he looked up at the group.

"My…look's like the birds escaped from their cages," He growled. "I would have never thought such animals and a measly broom could have the brain power to defeat a summoning like Ramon and save their pathetic owners."

"Heh, you sound surprise," Odd said with a grin. "You should never underestimate the power of an animal."

The cloaked man stood up. Aelita had to narrow her eyes but noticed a book in his left hand. The _Terra Tract_…

"I suppose you want to see that Hermit…"

"That'd be very kind of you," Christopher said dryly, a change from his usual cheerful tone. "That was the reason why we came here in the first place."

The cloaked leader scoffed. "Madeline! Come and bring that Hermit."

In an instant, a black cloud appeared next to the Society leader. The cloud vanished and the lithe cloaked body of the whip carrying member appeared. Next to her, on his knees, was a grungy looking old man. His ragged clothing was ripped apart, his grey hair covered with grime and caked with mud. His glasses looked broke but Aelita was not sure for how far he was. She heard both her mentors gasp.

"What did you do to the old man?" Christopher snarled.

"He must've taken a fall or something…" The leader said, adding a cold chuckle.

Anne Marie stepped forward. "You bastard! Have you no respect for the elderly? Especially one of the wisest wizards in the land?"

"Bitch!" Madeline hissed back. "How dare you speak to our leader like that?"

"Heh! He's not our leader!" Yumi shot back.

"Ladies…settle down," The leader said as he took a step towards the hermit Delmas. "Can you not see that you are making the old man nervous?"

"He looks like he's drugged or something if you ask me," Ulrich muttered.

"Patrick…" Christopher spoke up. "Why did you need the _Terra Tract_? What exactly are you planning?"

"And where are the other books?" Aelita added in.

"I cannot say where the other books are for I have no idea. And the _Terra Tract_? Well…the world needs to be cleansed."

"So you plan on summoning this god and shape the world for your own selfish desires?" Jeremie asked, rage glowing in his blue eyes.

"I suppose you can say that. Unfortunately…I don't have the materials needed yet to complete the spell."

"Why is that?" Odd's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Don't have enough sacrifices and magic rocks yet?"

"Don't be smart with me, human archer! But I do need plenty more sacrifices…"

"Then what do you need besides that?" Aelita dared to ask.

"The blood of the Sun and the Moon…"

The younger member of the group looked at each other in confusion. Aelita had no idea what he could mean by that. The Sun and the Moon can't bleed blood.

"_The blood of the Sun and the Moon gives the Earth body the power to rise from the ground and reap the souls of the living…_That is what it says in the book."

Aelita heard a cough, then the hoarse, shaking voice of the Hermit Delmas. "Y-you dare use your o-own power t-to destroy innocent p-people? What kind of a wizard a-are you? We are supposed to help…people."

"Silence, old man!" Madeline snarled, kicking the old man.

Aelita gasped and wanted to run up to hurt the witch but felt the hand of Jeremie keep her back. She looked at Jeremie with pleading eyes but he did not let go. Aelita stared back at the woman as the old hermit coughed violently.

"How dare you?" Yumi snarled. "Hurting the elderly! Even I haven't gotten that low!"

"I think we should prepare some of the sacrifices now…we have a long way to go before are able to summon the Earth body," Patrick, the leader, said. A small, dark cloud appeared over the hermit. "By the almighty power of the Dark Gods, I summon their power to take control of this body!"

Dark particles shot down from the cloud and into the Hermit Delmas. The old wizard let out a scream of utter pain and anguish.

"No!" Aelita shouted, trying to break out of Jeremie's grasp.

"Stop it Patrick!" Anne Marie shouted. "You damned fool!"

But the evil leader did not cancel the spell. He seemed delighted with the old man's pain as he laughed over the old man's pained howls. The old man's body began to change. His body was growing larger, muscles ripping apart his ragged clothing. His skin was turning into a dark purple colour and his eyes changed to white. Black horns grew out of his head and curled as they got longer. His screams soon turned to howls of anger. His glasses fell to the ground, making a horrible cracking noise when they made impact with the ground. He looked at the group, panting hostilely and snarling at them. Long fangs replaced his teeth.

Madeline drew back her whip and whipped the monster's back.

"Sic them, boy," She purred nastily. The monster roared and charged at the group.

The monster was barreling towards the group but Aelita knew that with the hermit's former state that he would probably weaker than he could be. The group spilt before the purple creature could crash into them.

"What should we do?" Jeremie panicked. "He was just a wizard!"

"We have to stop him!" Yumi shouted.

"As much as it pains me, Yumi is right," Christopher said through gritted teeth. "We need to put him out of his misery or he'll do some serious damage."

"Okay then," Odd said, releasing an arrow. The arrow hit the monster Delmas' shoulder. The monster whipped around and charged at Odd. "I think that was a bad idea!"

Aelita ran into Nightshade. The mare was relatively calm under the current circumstances. Aelita smiled and quickly jumped onto the mare's back.

"Come on Nightshade!" Aelita said to the horse. "We can try to put a binding spell on him as you run around."

Nightshade did a small rear before cantering around the room. Aelita tried to find the page with the earth binding spell.

Meanwhile, Odd was trying to fire more rounds of arrows at the monster. Kiwi, along with Esmeralda, charged and nipped at the monster's oversized ankles. The creature would slap away the wolf and broom but after only being momentarily discombobulated, they would go back for more attacks. Ulrich was also along with the wolf and broom, but was more nimble when it came to avoiding the monster's kicks. He stabbed the knees of the monster, but the sword marks only looked like small scratches on the monster.

"My blade is not doing anything!" Ulrich shouted. Suddenly, the swordsman got kick by the monster Delmas and was sent flying into the wall.

Yumi gasped and ran over to defend the temporarily unconscious swordsman. She threw her boomerang-like fans at the monsters, hitting the chest of the creature. He let out a scream and just as he was about to punch out at the two, Jeremie used his wand, and finally, released the pink energy of the crystal. Though it felt only like a small jolt, it got the monster's attention.

"Oh, come on!" Jeremie shouted as the monster chased after him. "All I did was zap you!"

Then, Christopher stood in between the two, slashing at the mid-section of the violet monster.

"Got it!" Aelita shouted. She shouted out the incantation and the earth vines that trapped the Colossus shot out of the ground. They wrapped around the wrists and ankles of the monster.

Just as the group was about to move in, the fiend broke free of the vines. He quickly bent over and with impressive strength, ripped a slab of stone out of the floor. With a massive grunt, he threw the stone at Aelita and Nightshade. The girl and horse let out a scream of terror.

"Aelita!" Anne Marie shouted, but Aelita did not catch it.

She knew it was over when the boulder would make impact with her and her faithful mare.

But suddenly, she felt a heavenly heat as bright light surrounded her. It was as if she felt this before, but long, very long ago. It was like all of time had stopped. The mare had stopped moving and Aelita had to blink several times before her eyes adjusted to the light. Then, she saw her…

It was the body of a woman, with large off-white coloured wings. Her back was facing her but Aelita could see a wolf-like skull covering the top of the woman's head and the bottom jaw of the wolf skull outlined her own. She had long deep violet, almost black hair that reminded Aelita of the night sky. The woman looked over her shoulder and Aelita could see glowing blue eyes in the darkness of the eye holes of the skull. In her right hand was a sword in the shape of a crescent moon and that glowed a magnificent silver colour in the light. In her left hand was a rainbow coloured orb.

For some reason, Aelita felt like she had seen this person before. From a distant, forgotten memory…

Then, time seemed to speed up again. The winged woman deflected the rock with a light shield that surrounded herself and the girl and mare.

"Luna!" Aelita heard Christopher shout.

"She just changed!" Jeremie shouted in disbelief. "That isn't possible! That's a bloody _god_!"

Aelita looked back at the winged woman. "Luna?"

The winged woman gave her a slow nod before turning her attention back on the monster. With incredible speed, Luna flew towards the monster. When she got close she began slashing furiously at the monster. Aelita felt frozen as she watched this goddess come to earth and her friends begin to attack the monster. She watched as the final blow, made by Ulrich stabbing the monster in the eye, was made. The creature fell to the ground in pain, taking heavy breaths. Her friends had stopped attacking the monster then, watching as the deathly wounded monster reverted back to the Hermit Delmas' human form.

Luna's body was shortly surrounded by the same light from earlier and reverted to the human form of her mentor Anne Marie. She quickly ran to the hermit, as well as Christopher.

"Delmas!" Christopher shouted. "Are you okay?"

"No…I am not," Delmas responded, his voice weaker than from before. "Thank you…all of you…"

"Don't say that!" Anne Marie looked like she was just slapped. "You'll be okay! We still need you."

"No…you do not."

"Hermit," Yumi said in a small voice. "Do you know what happened to the other books?"

His breath was getting shallower and his eyes closed. In one, final hoarse whisper, he uttered the word "Xana…"

Then he was still. Life had escaped from his body as more blood seemed to pour out of his body.

What was next, Aelita did not even see coming. The forms of Patrick and Madeline appeared behind both her mentors. Their swords were in hand and ready to strike. Aelita shouted her mentor's names.

"Lady Anne! Christopher!"

But it was too late for them. Like a snake striking its prey, the blades stabbed through her mentor's bodies. Aelita screamed loudly as she watched the blood drip down the swords that impaled her masters. The rest of the group stood wide eyed and speechless as well.

"The blood…of the Sun and the Moon…" Patrick voice growled as he and Madeline withdrew the blades. "Is now mine…"

Anne Marie and Christopher's bodies crashed to the ground and the two Society members disappeared in dark clouds. Aelita jumped off of Nightshade's back and ran to her masters' side. They were both silent and still, hardly breathing.

She tilted her head back and let out a loud yowl.

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Comacazy Freak: Nope! The wand is just a "point and zap" kind of item. Since Jeremie has no knowledge of weapons, he has to settle with a wand. The **__**Scyphozoa will probably just attack but its abilities will be made clear when it makes its appearance. And no problem to responding to your questions. And I'm glad you enjoyed the three-headed dog Ramon. Unfortunately, I do not know if the animals will have another chance to be heroes. But they'll still play a major role in the story.**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: The hermit finally makes it! But, unfortunately, has an early demise. But now the gang has an even bigger problem with the Society know that they got the key ingredients for the summoning. No rest for the group, unfortunately. And I hope you enjoyed this battle scene. It was a beast to make…And yay! Another broom fan! I should really make t-shirts…**_

* * *

_**A/N: Phew, there! A long chapter! And now we know that Christopher and Anne Marie have made pacts with the Sun God and Moon Goddess, respectively. Christopher, you probably didn't know but since the word "sun" was used and he got stabbed, it's kind of a no brainer that he is the Sun God's envoy. But will they be okay by the next chapter? We'll just see. But next chapter, we have a funeral. Or will it be three funerals?**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends. **_


	33. Explanation

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Thirty Two: Explanation**_

* * *

The next few days were solemn after the escape from the prison island. The hermit was dead. Aelita's mentors were gravely wounded. Worse yet was the _Terra Tract_, as well as Patrick and his Society, were on the run. And now, unfortunately, they had the tools they needed to summon the Earth body to destroy the world.

Currently, the group was hiding out at the underground den of the two mages. They decided that the den would be a safe place for a while until, or if, Anne Marie and Christopher got better. Christopher was wide awake and talking to the group, never seeming to shut up despite the life threatening injury. Aelita was happy to see that from her master. But Anne Marie was still unconscious. Christopher said that she'd probably be out longer than he was because she transformed into the Moon Goddess Luna before they were impaled. She knew one thing she was going ask her mentor when she wakes up. Why hasn't she ever told Aelita that she had the ability of a God? What other secrets did the mentor hide from her student?

Aelita sighed and leaned back on the hill, letting the meadow winds blow through her hair. She looked up the light blue sky. Not a cloud was in sight and the sun shone brightly. It was nice to get away from the current troubles for the moment.

Nightshade was chomping on the grass beside her and Kiwi was curling up, sleeping near where the horse was eating. Esmeralda was also lying by the wolf. Aelita giggled at the sight, guessing that the three must've gotten pretty close when they were broke into the prison.

"Hey!" Aelita jumped at the voice. She looked up and noticed the blonde scholar, Jeremie, standing over her. The apprentice immediately sat up, playfully hitting the young man with a smile on her face. "Don't do that ever again! I thought you were a monster for a second."

"Oh come on!" Jeremie chuckled, taking a seat beside her. "I don't think those things are capable of speaking."

"You're right…they are definitely smarter than you are and do not need words to communicate because they can do it telepathically."

"Hey! Now that was below the belt." The two shared a long laugh. It felt nice to get away from the problems involving the Hermit's death and the Society. "It's glad seeing you like this."

Aelita looked at him, not sure how to respond. She noticed his face turning pink and couldn't help but realize that her own was feeling hot.

"I mean…not all upset about your mentors and the old man," Jeremie quickly corrected. "It's a nice change because lately, you've been really upset."

Aelita looked at Nightshade, shifting her attention away from Jeremie. "I know what you mean…At least Christopher is going to be alright. He'll probably just have a scar in his human form and he'll be mad about his "non-flawless" body for quite some time. But he'll get over it."

"Yeah…you should've seen what he was talking about after you left. He was saying how now that he's hurt, he deserves one wish and that is to destroy the plant with the mouth."

"Bruno?"

"Yes, that's it. But he said if he did that Annie would get upset and probably ring his neck when she wakes up."

"_If_ she wakes up," Aelita added dryly. Her voice got lower, sadder. "It's been three days and she still hasn't wakened up. I've put herbs under her nose to see if she'd stir but she wouldn't. Her wound is clearing up nicely but she is still unconscious. I don't know if she'll live or die!"

"It's okay," Jeremie said sternly. "And don't say that she is going to die! She _will_ wake up and she _will _be okay. You're doing the best you can and I'm sure she knows you are too."

Aelita sighed and looked back at Jeremie. "You're right…thank you Jeremie. You're a good friend."

Jeremie grinned at her before pulling her into a hug. "What are friends for?"

Aelita pulled back and smiled at him, looking deeply into his eyes. She never realized his eyes could be so blue in the sunlight. She felt like she was swimming as she continued to look in those eyes. It was a nice moment, one Aelita had never experienced and it felt very comforting.

"Hey you two!" Yumi shouted, sticking her head out of the entryway to the den. "The witch just woke up!"

Hearing the news, Aelita's eyes widened in excitement and she stood up. Leaving Jeremie and the three others, she ran towards the den as fast as she could. Skipping every other step as she went down the stairs, Aelita made it to the room in no time. Christopher was sitting up in a chair, shirtless with bandages wrapped around his abdomen. Beside him, lying on a ratty old cot, was her other mentor. Her eyes were alert and open, but she still looked very tired. The rest of the group was also there, but Odd and Ulrich were asleep. Yumi, who had called her in, was feeding the plant leftovers from last evening's dinner. When Aelita made it into the room, Anne Marie smiled a small smile.

"Aelita…sorry I worried you," Her mentor said in a small voice.

"No, it's fine!" Aelita said, trying to hide her joy. Her eyes were swelling, trying to hold back the tears. "I'm just…so happy to see you're okay."

Like a child would to his or her mother, Aelita ran to Anne Marie, throwing her arms around her mentor's neck and embracing her. Tears finally spilt over, wetting the witch's bare shoulder. Anne Marie's arms cradled Aelita, one hand on her head and the other around her back.

"There, there…" Anne Marie comforted, patting Aelita's back gently. "It'll be okay."

"Wow Anne…I haven't seen you act like this for a long time," Christopher purred. "It's a comforting change from you. Can I have a hug now?"

The two broke off the embrace with Anne Marie glaring at the cat wizard. "Never in this lifetime, cat man…"

Christopher's eyes watered with fake tears and he sounded hurt. "Aw Annie…why do you have to be like that?"

"How are you feeling?" Aelita asked the witch.

Anne Marie shrugged her shoulders. "Okay now, I guess…my stomach hurts and I'm thirsty, but that's about it."

"Hey, Odd, Ulrich," Yumi said to the two sleeping boys when she reentered the room. The former thief kicked at Odd and shook Ulrich. "Anne is awake."

Ulrich opened his eyes wearily, letting out a big yawn. He looked at the witch and nodded.

"Nice to see you awake," he regarded, messing with the lock of hair in front of his eyes.

"Hey, psycho witch!" Odd greeted cheerfully. "I'm glad you're not dead yet."

Anne Marie sighed. "I'm glad I am not either…but if I was dead, my ghost would be all over you, haunting your crazy ass."

Odd grinned at her. "I wouldn't want anything more from my favorite hag."

"Nice to see you're awake," Jeremie said as he walked down the steps and into the room. "Now, we have some questions."

Christopher and Anne Marie looked at each other. "What kind of questions?" Christopher asked.

"Firstly-" Ulrich looked at Anne Marie. "-You transformed into a _god_. The Moon Goddess. What's the deal with that?"

The room fell unsettlingly silent. Anne Marie was looking at the group with a tight expression. Christopher was looking about the room, not maintaining eye contact with anyone.

Aelita cleared her throat. "It's true, Lady Anne…out of the thirteen years I have been your apprentice, I've never seen you do that once."

Anne Marie took a deep breath. "It's been almost twenty years since we officially became a full-fledged wizard and witch. And when we did, we were chosen to be apart of the Lyoko Empire's Magic Council. The council had a representative for each element. The Sun envoy and the Moon had died and retired, respectively."

"We were chosen by the Council, the Emperor and the Empress as soon as we finished our apprenticeship," Christopher continued. "When you get chosen, you must go to the God Mountain and fight your chosen element. Many are chosen for the task but only one can have the power of the god. Sure enough, I became the bearer of the Sun God Sol and Annie was chosen as Luna's bearer. When we received the titles, we were part of the Magic Council, advising the Emperor and the Empress."

"So, when you did that, you received the powers of the Sun and the Moon?" Ulrich asked.

Christopher nodded. "When you fight a god and earn its power, you make a soul pact. And in its power, you have the ability to enter a state where you are utterly possessed by the god. It's a trick we call "spirit synthesis".

Christopher held up the pendant with the image of the sun that was wrapped around his neck. "We joined the council and received a pendant like this. Cute isn't it?"

The group groaned and shook their heads at Christopher's remark. Christopher pouted and looked away from the group, clutching his pendant.

"The Hermit said something about a guy named Xana," Yumi picked up the conversation. "You know anything about him."

"Of course we do…" Anne Marie growled at the name. "He graduated with us and basically screwed everything up."

"What my partner is saying…"Christopher began, his tone lower and much more dangerous. "Xana used to be a very talented wizard. Unfortunately, when he realized the Council didn't choose him to take part, he was very angry. He plotted against the Empire and managed to take control of the Black Cloak Society. He used them to summon a god, using the _Codex of Cthulhu_, to distract us while he destroyed the kingdom.

"The Council sent Anne Marie, myself and a human knight by the name of Richard to fight this god. We defeated it after a long battle. Unfortunately, Richard died during the fight, as well at the rest of the Council and the Emperor and Empress. Xana took control of the Lyoko Empire and we fled."

Aelita looked at Anne Marie. The witch had a sad look on her face and she was clutching her Moon pendant close to her body. "It's all in the past though now….Richard, the Council…that night we also found Aelita. She was unconscious, lying beside the castle walls. Worried of what may happen to her if we left her; we took her with as we fled."

"Out of tragedy, we managed to find at least one good thing," Christopher mumbled, looking at Aelita with pride shining in his blue eyes.

Aelita gave him a small smile, remembering the time when she was a young girl, lost near the castle and being saved by her two mentors.

"That is why we fight," Anne Marie continued. "To put an end to Xana's tyranny and to put an end to the Society. Then, we'll bring the old government system back and permit the use of magic in the land."

"But how will we do that?" Odd asked. "This Xana person has all the books now. We'll be doomed if we try to stop him now."

"We can go after the Society first and put an end to their threat," Jeremie suggested. "They already have most of the materials to summon this Earth Body thing so if we can just get rid of them right away. Then we can go after the Xana wizard."

"You know…that actually sounds pretty good," Ulrich said quietly. "No wonder why you're a genius."

"Sounds plausible," Christopher said, scratching his chin. He looked at his witch friend. "What do you think?"

"One of the best suggestions I've heard in a long time. But we'll need to be extra careful when we do encounter them."

"That brings up another brilliant point," Odd muttered. "How the hell will we know where they are going?"

"True…" Anne Marie groaned. She looked at her apprentice. "Did you bury the hermit?"

Aelita nodded. "Yes, Lady Anne. We buried him not to far away from here."

"Then I have a plan."

"B-but you shouldn't move!" Aelita exclaimed. "What about your injuries?"

"They'll be fine. I'm a quick healer. Besides…I still need to give him the Witch's Prayer."

"What's that?" Yumi asked Christopher.

"It's a special prayer given to a deceased witch or wizard," Christopher answered. "It's an old tradition and it blesses the dead to guide them peacefully to the Afterlife. It is rumored that if a mage does not receive it, their soul will remain and haunt the earth."

"Well…then let's go," Jeremie said. Adding a shiver he continued speaking. "I don't want any ghosts wandering around so let's just get this over with."

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Comacazy Freak: Always a joy to answer questions from you. Hm…I'm still kind of on shaking ground with giving Aelita her wings but she will possess her "energy field" attack. And no, the wand, as stated in one of the earlier chapters by Christopher, is just a "point-and-zap". That's all it does. And yes, the Lyoko warriors gain their Lyoko powers at one point in the story. I would tell you when, but that'll just ruin the fun of waiting. They just learned about Lord Xana and he is technically the head leader, but Patrick is the normal leader who follows Xana's orders. Xana probably just sits around the castle reading newspapers, eating pig ears (The dog treat, not actual pig's ears) and killing anything that makes it into his throne room. And he'll make his appearance soon enough.**_

_**MuffinGirl: Anytime. ;)**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: I knew I'd get that reaction! I'm such an evil writer, MUHAHA! But scary, mastermind laugh aside, he'll make an appearance next chapter. But as a ghost…And the two are okay! Christopher seems to be the favorite with a lot of people, which is good. I like him too. And thank you!**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Phew! You didn't abandon me! Yep, that's what the tacky jewelry is for. I didn't want to spoil and it just takes thirty chapters to get to the part that explains it. I think bad guys go for that stuff because they are ruthless, mean people just trying to do their job to make their house payment or something. Living the bad guy life is not that easy, I guess.**_

* * *

_**A/N: A long ass chapter…but at least I finished it! Next chapter, we learn where our favorite secret Society is hiding with the help of Delmas' ghost. He also asks the group an odd request of them. Can't wait to find that out!**_

_**After some snooping on DeviantART, I realized it was Jerlita week. So to all of the Jeremie/Aelita fans, the scene with them in the meadow is just for you.**_

**_And here's a quote from the great Handy the Handpuppet: "READ A BOOK!" _**

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	34. Witch's Prayer

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Thirty Three: Witch's Prayer**_

* * *

Not far from the den, on a hill near the forest was the cross. Below the cross, underground, was the burial site of the Hermit Delmas. Placed around the cross in a circle patterns were lit white candles. Sitting cross-legged in front of the cross was Anne Marie. Her eyes were closed and she clutched her moon pendant in her hand.

"-And in your darkest hour, may you find the light that leads you to the other side. Peace, tranquility and happiness you will find, when you reach your new home and subside…"

The witch continued the chant, lifting up a small flask of red oil and pouring it on the ground in front of the cross. Aelita watched as her mentor performed the legendary Witch's Prayer. But aside from her and Christopher, the others seemed to be bored. Odd let out a yawn and muttered.

"Are we almost done yet?"

"Be respectful you dote!" Yumi scolded. "It's a funeral!"

"But we've been standing her listening to her chant for the past ten minutes and the sun is going down," Odd complained.

"Oh, keep your pants on," Christopher whispered. "She's almost done."

Aelita watched Lady Anne's head dip and she stopped speaking. The witch then slumped over, making Aelita nervous. She was just about to go up to see if her mentor is okay but Christopher held her back, grabbing her shoulder.

"This is the fun part now…" Christopher said with a small smile.

Then, from the ground and behind the wooden cross, a small spherical light rose up from the ground. Aelita blinked and the ball of light was now the hermit. He was transparent and floating above ground. He was a ghost now. But he looked a lot happier and his baggy outfit was not as raggedy as when they found him. He smiled at them and nodded his head.

"Greetings," he said, his voice was not hoarse and tired anymore. "I thank you for releasing my soul and please give the lady my thanks when I pass on."

Christopher nodded and grinned. "It is never a problem for a friend. But sorry it had to end the way it did."

"It was not your fault. The summoning extremists are the ones at fault."

"Hey Mister Delmas," Jeremie spoke up, changing the subject. "Do you know where the Society is going to unleash their plan?"

Delmas nodded. "Indeed, I do. They plan to summon the god above the cathedral in Kadic at moon high."

"The cathedral?" Ulrich asked, raising a brow. "Why there?"

"They need a strong spiritual power to release a god such as the Earth Body…why not use a church when you need it?"

"I think we get it," Odd grumbled. "Thanks."

The Hermit nodded. "You are welcome, but before I pass over, I want to ask you all something."

"What is it?" Aelita asked, looking at Delmas innocently.

"My daughter, I heard she went missing. Her name is Elisabeth."

Aelita heard Ulrich gulp but the chocolate haired swordsman did not say a thing.

"I've never heard anything about that…but we'll be sure to say something to her if we find her," Christopher answered for the group.

"Thank you, old friend." And with those words, the Hermit became the glowing ball once again and disappeared for good. A few moments later, Aelita heard her mentor gasp for air. The pink haired apprentice ran to her mentor.

"Lady Anne!" Aelita said in her concerned voice. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, thank you," Anne Marie answered. "Just need to stop holding my breath when I do that…"

Aelita giggled and helped her master stand up. "So what's the battle plan?" Anne Marie asked.

"We are going to church!" Christopher announced. Anne Marie glared at him and he quickly corrected what he was saying. "I mean, the Society will unleash their god at moon high tonight and they will be on top of the church."

Anne Marie still glared at him but nodded. "That doesn't give us much time…it's already sunset."

Aelita looked over at Ulrich. His face was still tight, even after the Hermit's disappearance. Yumi looked over at him and shook his shoulder.

"What's wrong with you now?" she asked.

"The Hermit's daughter…I've met her in town. Well, more like, she stalked me around town."

Odd raised a brow. "Yeah…what about her?"

"She isn't missing…she's dead."

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: Of course he'd come back! Someone has to tell where the Society is going to go. And I think Aelita would be a little more than just mad with me if I killed off her mentors. Thank you!**_

_**Traveler: Holy crap, you're not dead! Just kidding, I was guessing you were probably busy but it's great that you reviewed this chapter! I knew you'd enjoy the moment, you rabid Jeremie/Aelita fan you. Christopher is arrogant? Hm…never really seen that and I'm the writer of this! But I guess I do see what you mean. If I did kill off the mentors, which I did consider at one point in a draft, that'd be interesting. But, as you said, that'd eliminate two of the most knowledgeable characters in the story, as well as not giving Aelita a mentor to home her magic abilities. Thanks for the review this time, friend!**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Nah, its fine! I update this sucker too much, anyways. You made fan art? You did not have to do that but thank you! I really need to make something for you because it's not fair for you…And thank you for the review!**_

_**Comacazy Freak: I actually like your suggestion. It'd actually fit really well in the story. And I know that I'm making you insane when it comes to Xana making his appearance and I apologize. But as the end of the Society draws near, the evil Lord will make his appearance. And Christopher will probably turn back into his cat form, as well as his newly announced Sun God form too. And thank you for the review!**_

* * *

_**A/N: Oo…Ulrich just dropped a bombshell but is it really true? Also, will our heroes be ready for the attack against the Society the coming evening? All this and more will be answered in the coming chapters of this story. Now I really do not have much to say besides this. I dyed my hair and now it is deep purple, almost black. I feel like Raven from the Teen Titans…which is cool.**_

_**Anyways, thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


	35. Fortress in the Sky

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Thirty Four: Fortress in the Sky**_

* * *

Ulrich did not say much about how Sissi died, but he explained it on the way to Kadic. He told the group that she died from sickness, a rare plague or something, along with two other people. Weirdly, when they were about to be buried, the bodies disappeared. There was no trace let behind. The funny thing is that the ordeal happened only a few months ago.

But Aelita didn't really care about the missing corpse of a dead girl. She was mentally preparing herself for what may be the final confrontation with the Black Cloaked Society. Everyone, including Nightshade and Esmeralda, was coming along to prevent the Earth God from rising and destroying the city.

The storm clouds were growing in the night sky, lightning flashing within the dark clouds. The eerie sky and air was definitely felt as they neared the only church in the city. The stage was set for the summoning, Aelita thought. Soon the Society will unleash their monster upon the world, causing destruction in its path.

When they arrived at the cathedral, they were shocked to see that the ministers, preachers, all that could be found within a church knocked out.

"They must've done this," Yumi muttered, checking over one of the women in black and white. What were they nuns?-Aelita thought. She had never been in a church before but would hear stories from Christopher about their leader figures. It was no doubt who the thief was talking about when she said 'they'.

"Let's finish this then," Ulrich growled.

"They'll be at the top," Anne Marie murmured. "All villains have their establishments at the top of a building.

"Awesome…" Odd said with a smirk. "Like Ulrich said, let's take them out!"

The decision was unanimous. After casting a quick healing spell on each of the church officials, the group found a flight of stairs that led them to the roof of the cathedral. Sure enough, the three members of the Society were there, with their backs on the group as they entered. The three were looking up at the dark sky. Lightning struck in the distance.

The gang, with weapons ready, stood several feet away from them, taking aim at the three.

"It's over Patrick…" Anne Marie growled, pulling the top of her staff off to reveal the blade concealed. "Your measly God will not be summoned."

The middle cloaked figure, Patrick, turned around. He looked at the two beside him and nodded. In two puffs of black smoke, the two were gone, leaving the leader alone with the band of misfits. He laughed coldly at them.

"It's great to see you two alive," He growled sarcastically. "You must've talked to the Hermit's ghost…Pity, for you are too late…"

"What are you talking about?" Jeremie asked aloud. "You have nothing. There is no God here!"

"Silence human!" Patrick spat. "You, of all creatures, have no right t speak to me!"

"And _you_ have no right to speak to him like that!" Aelita spat back, glaring at the cloaked figure.

The leader scoffed and began walked backwards towards the edge of the roof. The group gasped quietly. The cloaked figure moved his arms in an outward gesture.

"If you want me, pathetic urchins…come and get me."

He leaned back, falling backwards off the tower. The group watched, wide eyed and shocked, moving closer to the edge. That was when the unthinkable happened.

A large ship was in sight, floating in the air. It had giant wings, made out of material Aelita had never seen before, like it was made of a weird shining stone. She had never seen something like this. Most ships belonged in water! And this one was as large as that mountain near the Ruins!

"What the hell is that?" Odd exclaimed.

Kiwi barked at the ship as it steadily rose higher. Everyone else stood still, looking at the advanced technological marvel rise. Aelita had to squint her eyes but she saw the cloaked figure of Patrick on the deck of the ship.

"Look!" She pointed and everyone spat curses.

Aelita saw a smirk grow on Anne Marie's face. "Those bastards are just going to make this too much fun."

Aelita felt the witch's staff move into her hands and before she could say anything, a familiar bright light was felt and seen. After a moment, the light faded and the winged figure of Luna was standing where Lady Anne was. As quickly as she appeared, the Moon Goddess shot off into the sky, white feathers falling from the sky as she ascended towards the ship.

"Lady Anne!" Aelita shouted after her master but if she heard, it was unknown.

* * *

Luna sped off after the ship; white wings flapping like an eagle's would when in flight. Her sword glowed its silver light even without the light of the moon glowing and the rainbow globe held in the left glowed faintly. The Moon Goddess knew her objective; destroy the bizarre marvel in the air and protect the ones closet to her.

Using the draft coming from the wings of the ship, she flew up above the ship. Her glowing eyes, hiding in the darkness of the eye holes in the wolf skull, spotted the cloaked figure, the one called "Patrick". She scoffed at his arrogance. How dare he expect so little of them! She dove down towards the deck at a quick speed. Her feet crashed onto the deck, creating a welt in the wooden floor of the deck. The man in the cloak seemed surprised crying out when he saw the Goddess. He was even kind enough to say out her name.

"Luna?"

Luna did not respond and stood hovering above the ground. Gods need not talk to pathetic mortals who dare attack their own kind by summoning an evil god.

But the man's sense of shock gave way as a dark rob of energy appeared in his hands. Luna had no time to react as the dark energy came at her. There was an explosion on the deck and the man chuckled evilly. But as the smoke from the blast subsided, the Moon Goddess was still there. Her wings fluttered quickly to remove any dust or grim from her wings. The cloaked man looked at her, and she sensed the anger radiating from him.

"Impossible!" He hissed.

Now, it was Luna's turn to be on the offensive. The Moon Goddess dashed towards him, wings gliding towards the man and her silver crescent blade out for the strike. He threw his hands up, the tell-tale shield that protected him since he became the leader of the Society came up as the blade of Moonlight came close to striking him. The shield of dark purple aura came up but the weapon did not bounce back. The blade stayed where it was supposed to hit. Luna placed more force against the shield with her blade as silver light conflicted with the dark purple aura.

The man gritted his teeth and sweat beaded on his forehead. From within her body, Luna could feel the mortal she made her Soul Pact with pushing her on soul into the attack against this mortal. The shield began to way, losing its power as Luna pushed harder.

Then, the shield gave threw and a massive explosion accord on the deck, soon enveloping the entire ship.

* * *

Aelita gasped when she saw the ship explode and began to fall slowly down. Aelita looked around for the winged Moon deity but couldn't see her within the falling wreckage.

She felt the comforting hand of Odd on one shoulder and Jeremie's on her other shoulder.

"LUNA!" She cried out.

* * *

As flames fell from the sky and the odd material used to make the ship, Luna stood in the middle, floating in the sky with wings outstretched. She lifted her chin back and let out a benevolent victory yowl.

Meanwhile, the figure of Patrick fell but stopped and suspended itself in the air. Parts of his cloak were burned and destroyed but his face still remained hidden. He was tired, shocked at how much power a god could have in this realm.

"Amazing! The power of the Moon…" Patrick growled. He looked up and watched as the Moon Goddess floated gracefully down. She was still floating above him and he could feel her powerful gaze set on him.

"You think you have beaten me?" Patrick shouted. "Think again! Now it is time to show you the power of the Earth Body!"

With an evil cackle, he dashed off into the sky. Even without wings, the crazed wizard flew through the sky quickly. Then, in the middle where the airship once floated, Patrick lifted his head to the sky. His legs were sprawled and something appeared in his hands. The brown leather banded book known as the _Terra Tract_. Now was the time to summon!

"To the powerful earth that sleeps below the wicked sins of the mortal flesh, it is time to awaken! With the offering of the Sun and Moon's blood, I SUMMON YOU TO THIS PLACE!"

Before Luna or anyone could react, a vortex appeared in the clouds above Patrick. And from the vortex, a massive castle, made entirely of black stone, came down from the sky. When the entire fortress came through, it levitated above the ground, looking menacing above the city below.

* * *

Everyone watched as the fortress came down from the vortex and float above the city. Aelita could not believe it.

"The Earth God is within _there_?" Jeremie asked loudly, not wanting to believe what just happened.

"This is madness…" Aelita said in a quiet voice, feeling tears come to her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt something from behind her. It felt like…tentacles? Before she could turn around, she was lifted above ground and began dashing towards the fortress in the tentacles of whatever was holding onto her.

"Aelita!" She heard Christopher, Odd and Jeremie shout.

"Luna! Go after Aelita!" Christopher demanded loudly. "A Scyphozoa has her!"

Aelita looked to the side and saw the winged deity fly towards her, with her blade ready to attack the monster. But when she got closer, a dark purple lightning bolt struck her.

"Luna!" Aelita cried out as she watched the Moon Goddess fall from the sky at a quick place. She tried breaking out of the tentacles grasp but it had no avail. She neared the fortress, but that was all she saw before she blacked out.

* * *

"Anne!" Christopher shouted as he watched Luna fall from the sky and towards the roof of the church.

Yumi watched with shocked eyes, still trying to figure out what has just happened in such a short amount of time. Suddenly, a warm light appeared where Christopher standing. In a brief moment, the light went away and there was someone else standing where Christopher was.

It was a humanoid in red armor. The knight like person held a massive sword in his right hand. He was very tall, standing at least seven feet tall. Yumi could feel a warmth radiating off of the armor and could see red eyes glowing through a thin line in the facial armor.

This had to be the Sun God, Sol. He dropped his sword and held his hands out, ready to catch the falling god. Thankfully, he did catch her, perfectly too. Yumi and the others moved in closer to see if Luna was alright. The Moon deity had her eyes close but she was still breathing. In a quick flash, Luna changed back to Anne Marie. Her eyes were still closed but other than that, she looked unwounded.

"Hey! Hag!" Odd shouted at her. "Wake up!"

"Don't call me a hag…" The witch growled back, opening an eye. Yumi followed the witch's eyes and noticed she was looking at the Sun God. "Thank you…"

Sol simply nodded before setting her down on the ground gently. Then, he shifted back to his human form. Christopher shook his hair out, Yumi noticing a few embers coming out as he did.

"That was fun…" Christopher mumbled.

"We need to go after her!" Jeremie shouted. "Who knows what might happen to her now that they have her!"

"They used a Scyphozoa to capture her…" Anne Marie said, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "I'm sure they will do nothing to horrible to her. They only use that thing for capturing and power stealing."

"We still need to go after her!" Odd interjected.

"Listen!" Anne Marie hissed. "She is just as important to me as she is to you guys. But we need to think logically before we charge into a stronghold belonging to a group of extremists."

"She is right," Yumi sighed. "We cannot just charge into that floating castle thing hoping that we'll find her. They are probably making a trap as we speak."

"First of all, we need to find a way inside," Ulrich said. "Since it is floating, I'm sure it won't have a stairway or anything like that."

"Maybe we can make portal," Christopher suggested. "It won't be that hard."

"That'll do," Jeremie said with a nod. "But maybe we should get to ground level first. It'll be much easier there than up here."

* * *

_**Response Time!**_

_**Lavender Frostflower: Nope, no ghost of Sissi past. She was, more than likely, stalking him before she died. And sorry about the Hermit. I was guessing he might've been your favorite character or something. And cool with the hair! I dyed my hair for senior pictures. Why? Because I thought it'd be funny.**_

_**A-QueenOfFairys: Yeah, but unfortunately with school starting in less than a week, I probably will not be updating as much. Being in College English, theatre and a lot of other senior classes, it'll be kind of hard to find time. And I saw the art and I love it! Thank you so very much! **_

_**Traveler: Animated Raven. And from the looks of this chapter, there attempt did not go so good. Yep, you got the generic evil god thing down and that is probably what is going to happen…or is it? And I thought it would be interesting to say that Sissi is dead. And how she died was answered in the chapter. Thanks for the review!**_

_**Comacazy Freak: Nope, no special burial for Sissi since she was not a witch and her corpse disappeared. As for William, he'll come along a little after Xana appears, and he'll appear in three or four chapters! I hope you're happy!**_

* * *

_**A/N: Good news, the group is one step closer to confronting the Society. Bad news, Aelita is kidnapped and the God is about to be summoned.**_

_**It was interesting writing this chapter, especially with the Luna part. And now, I really have noting much to say. No fun facts or anything this time.**_

_**Thanks for the read and please review! Stay thirsty, my friends. **_


	36. Dream Catcher

_**The Witch's Apprentice**_

_**Chapter Thirty Five: Dream Catcher**_

* * *

_Where am I? All I remember is Luna…flying after me and then that lightning bolt came from the sky and attacked her. Anne Marie? Christopher? Odd? Yumi? Ulrich? Kiwi? Jeremie? What is this? Why am I cold and alone? Someone…anyone…_

'_Peace, daughter,' _A calm feminine voice cooed gently. _'You must open your eyes and all shall be revealed…'_

Aelita remembered that voice. It came to her once when she and her friends were running from that renegade boulder in those ruins near that mountain. It was the very voice that saved their lives. She trusted the voice and slowly opened her eyes.

She was standing in a meadow, a rolling meadow with tall white flowers. A breeze blew and the flowers danced, swaying back and forth. The sky was deep blue and millions, if not billions, twinkled in the sea of sky. A large full moon was floating in the sky, casting light onto the valley of flowers below.

Aelita turned around and flowers petals flew from their stems. Her gaze met only more flowers and seemingly endless rolling hills of white flowers.

"Where am I?" Aelita asked aloud, not realizing that she was shouting at the sky. "Hello?"

She heard a gentle beating of wings and she quickly turned around. A white hawk, nearly the size of a full grown, stood on the ground several feet from Aelita. The hawk's glowing violet gaze met Aelita's. Aelita gulped and took a single step towards the bird. The hawk then raised its massive wings and in a blink, the hawk turned into the winged Moon Goddess Luna, unarmed and normally white wings shining a marvelous rainbow colour in the moonlight.

Aelita was shocked to be graced the benevolent Goddess, immediately dropping to her knees and bowing her head respectively. She heard a musical laughter and the gentle voice spoke.

'_Rise, daughter…you need not bow to me.'_

Aelita gazed up at the winged woman. Through the eyeholes of the wolf skull, she could see the gentle violet glow of Luna's eyes. She could see a small smile on her face and she held her hand out for assistance.

"You were the one talking to me in the ruins?" Aelita blurted out.

Luna gave a small nod. '_Indeed I did.'_

Aelita took the Goddess' hand and she felt a tingle as she touched Luna's skin. She was pulled up by the strong grasp of Luna, up to her feet. Aelita let go of Luna's hand and massaged her temples.

"My head…what's happening? Where am I?"

'_You are safe for the moment_,' Luna answered. '_We are in my part of the Spirit Realm. This is my own private sanctuary, you can say.'_

"Nice place you got…" Aelita mumbled. "Am I asleep or something?"

'_Yes, your human body is unconscious…I have not much time to warn you. The ones in the Black Cloaks…they will summon their God. You are their key…they are using your power to speed up the process.'_

"Speed up the process?"

'_To summon a God using the soul of the Earth…it takes a lot of time and energy. They need one who is not tainted yet by Light or Darkness to speed up the process, so to say…'_

"Luna…will everything be okay? Are my friends and mentors okay?"

"_They are and they will be coming to save you, do not worry. But be warned, daughter. You must prepare for one of the greatest battles of your life. All of humanity will depend on you and your friends.'_

The Goddess was beginning to fade and so was the world around her. Aelita gasped and reached her hand out to touch Luna but the Moon Deity disappeared. The moonlit meadow dulled to black and Aelita was floating in nothingness.

"Luna! Please help me!"

'_Have no fear, my daughter…I will always be by your side and protect you…'_

* * *

With a loud gasp, Aelita opened her eyes. Now where she was at was nothing like the lovely meadow she had grown used to. Now, she was in a dark room with red glowing walls. She looked down at the floor and watched as the floor pulsated. Aelita had to repress the thought to vomit and looked up. She tried struggling but felt that it was no use. She was tied tightly to some thing, possibly a stake.

"Finally you are awake…" Aelita heard the smooth voice of Patrick, the ringleader of this entire evil scheme.

Aelita growled at him, green eyes narrowing. "Let me go now…"

"I'd love to, really I would," Patrick's voice dripped with sarcasm. "But judgment day is so close upon us…Soon, the Earth Body shall be created and brought back to Earth. All thanks to your power."

"What power?" Aelita growled through gritted teeth, rolling her hands into clenched fists. "I'm only an apprentice to a witch and wizard who are far better than you'll ever hope to be."

"It is true that your mentors are very powerful for they were and still are, technically, members of Council. But even they will be no match against _my_ God. Your friends who were stupid enough to steer clear from you will also fall…Even with the help from two washed up gods they will be no match against the mighty Earth Body."

"You did not answer my first question…"

"My apologies…that beast that captured you took some of your essence. Usually, it'd take weeks to summon such a massive god and require plenty of sacrifices. In order to speed up the process, we took you, a young witch apprentice who has so much potential and such an unusual story. And now it is working most fabulously. Tomorrow, the city below-if not the world-will succumbs to our Lord's will and be destroyed."

"You and your followers sure to dear big…and what do you mean by 'unusual story'?"

Patrick chuckled and turned his back to the girl. "Your mentors don't tell you much about your past, do they?"

Aelita glared darkly at the cloaked man as he walked slowly away.

"Get back here and let me go!" Aelita shouted, but Patrick ignored her and walked out of the dark room.

Aelita closed her eyes and threw her head back. She let out wavering sigh.

"What does he mean by that?" She asked herself in a small, defeated voice.

* * *

_**Responses!**_

_**Traveler**__**: Oh hell yes they will. Why leave them out of the story when they were an influence in the show? And the Black Cloak Society wishes you to leave your suggestion in the box entitled "Suggestions". But in all seriousness, yeah, that'd be a smart thing to do. It'd really lower the morale of the group but if I killed Aelita, I'd get in trouble by the fanboys…Two gods are definitely powerful, but we're talking about a MASSIVE EARTH SUMMONING SEALED AWAY IN A BOOK. So, Luna and Sol will have a run for their money, as well as the other characters. But yeah…that'd be the smart villain thing to do.**_

_**Comacazy Freak**__**: I think Sissy was the daughter of a crazy weekend between a wizard and some ordinary girl and the old wizard never really got to see his daughter because of the Ban on magic. But he did know about her and did care for her from afar. And no problem. Had to introduce Sol at one point and catching a falling Luna was the best place to introduce him. He'll be more of a badass in later chapters. Yes, I have a plan for the other Gods mentioned at the ruins. Well, seeing how long it took me to right up the chapter to this one…it'll be probably on weekends. But I am taking College level courses, mind you, so it might be a long wait for updates.**_

_**Lavender Frostflower**__**: Yay! Esmeralda fan! She certainly is an interesting character…And thanks for the watch on DeviantART!**_

* * *

_**A/N: FINALLY UPDATED! Sorry for such a long wait…school is a bitch. But I am taking Creative Writing and it is helping me refine my skills. Unfortunately…I spawn too many ideas and it takes me forever to choose which one to write. That, and I've had a minor addiction to Shadow Hearts: Covenant and Silent Hill 2 lately. They help me wind down after play practice and homework…And being in the play, it'll make it twice as hard to get update this thing daily. Well…you saw how long it took me to update Chapter Thirty Five…**_

_**Enough of me talking, thank you so much for the read! Please review and all that other fun junk. Stay thirsty, my friends.**_


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